Old Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Zoku: Kurushihen
by Cherrylin
Summary: Continuation: Suffering Arc. - Old; check profile for new version! Sorry for the inconvenience. Not taken down due to reviews that I'm taking advice from.
1. Important Message

**16th July 2012  
><strong>

**Hello, everyone.**

**This is a very important message to my beloved readers and amazing subscribers; Kurushi-hen will not be updated on this 'file'. However, I will upload it as a new story.**

**That was the short version, and all you really need to know. So go to my page if you wish to read the story, and find the new one! It's still called Kurushi-hen and everything!**

**Below will be the LONG story. You don't need to read it, but some might be curious after all.**

**~ Cherrylin.**

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><p><span>The LONG and COMPLETE story behind this!<span>

The 19th June 2011, I started publishing this story to FF. Ever since then, I have had a habit of making a few other stories too, and eventually, I tried to write "Presumption of Innocence". I halted Kurushi-hen to work on this, but lost the inspiration. I wanted to finish PoI before continuing Kurushi-hen, but eventually, more than half a year went, and Kurushi-hen only had a good 7 chapters uploaded.

A few months ago, I decided I'd update Kurushi-hen. I'd rewrite all the uploaded chapters, take the critique the wonderful reviewers left me, and I'd update it.

My first deadline was the 19th June 2012, exactly one year later.

Then life got in the way and I got busy. I pushed the deadline, eventually to the 17th July.

I had decided I wanted to update all the chapters, just simply update them on FF. Take the old prologue, replace with the new, etc.., and I'd upload all the new versions the same day...

But, I got too busy, and couldn't possibly make it to the deadline. Instead, I decided I'd update them one by one, as I finished them. As regards to how to notify people, I thought I'd message those people who told me they wanted to alert them. I thought this was simple.

It wasn't. Turns out, that this way, people can't leave a review if they wish to. FF thinks you already left a review, and you can't leave more than one, apparently.

"Okay", I told myself. Then we'll just upload them as new chapters. Then people will get notified too!  
>But what will then happen? Then reviews for the prologue will be labelled for "chapter 11" because FF doesn't have the best system for organizing..<p>

So I tried to move the new, updated prologue (uploaded as a new chapter) to spot "Chapter 2", where it should be ("Chapter 1" is misc.). Well, what happens? FF thinks first of all that it's a replaced chapter, so all the old reviews returned and stuff.. secondary, it also reported an error that you couldn't review because the chapter didn't exist.. wtf?

So.. a tough decision for me, I will upload Kurushi-hen, my pride, as a new story. Under same name and everything, but you'll have to go to my profile page to find the new one.

I really, really, really apologize for all inconvenience and confusion this has caused my readers. Really. I am so sorry for all this mess, and I really hope you haven't given entirely up on me. Just go follow the 'new' Kurushi-hen, and everything should work out.. I've definitely learned from this, so all this mess won't happen again.

Again.. Thank you for being amazing people.


	2. Old Prologue

_**To Graytail; **__Thanks for all your support, critique and advice!_

_**To Cosmo; **__Forgive me…_

**Prologue**

_Shō__wa 58, July 3 - Sunday._

"She'll be okay," she promised with her gaze turned away, sitting on the edge of his bed. The young girl's mind was racing, the week's events hammering her head painfully. She was usually very talkative, despite the boy's unconscious state, but today her heavy heart had been eased with relief, her body exhausted from the recent incidents. She was using her last bit of energy with the boy she loved, never neglecting her daily visits.

Closing her eyes, her body trembled as she remembered the abused girl they had finally saved; the bruises all over the younger girl's skin, the legs that could barely carry her, the cries, screams... A silent tear tickled down the teenager's cheek, the first of many. She hid her face in her hands, crying, all the hard days replaying in her mind, making her weakened body tremble.

"She needs you, Satoshi-kun... She needs her brother.. her nii-nii," her voice was breaking, unable to suppress her tears any longer. She turned her head to look at him, a jolting pain shredding her heart.

"We _both_ need you.. Come back to us, Satoshi-kun.. Please.. wake up.." The crying girl laid her head carefully on his belly, shedding her tears on the thin blanket, pleading the boy to open his eyes. She lost her sense of time, praying for his return, promising him she'd look after his younger sister... but hoped with all her heart that he would come back soon.

Sleep took over her exhausted body, her narrowed eyes closing, the tears continuing to fall.

**'''''**

A gentle poking on the girl's arm woke her. She opened her light-teal eyes slowly, easily recognizing this familiar room of the clinic's basement, her head resting on the warm, soft belly of the sleeping boy she loved so deeply. Moments of hesitation passed before she sat up, the girl regaining her memories and clearing her head. She blinked lightly, her cheeks marked with tears, the dried out liquid softly cracking on her skin as she rubbed them away. Her tongue wet her moistureless lips, and her hand arrayed straying strands of emerald hair behind her ear, both actions instinctive. When she finally looked up, she was met by a friendly, forest-green gaze, looking down at her in gentle sympathy. She immediately identified the familiar, brown-haired man, despite her exhausted mind and body.

"It's late, Shion-chan." His voice was soft, corresponding with his sympathetic eyes.

"Mhmm, I know.." Shion muttered, despite being completely unaware of the time. She cast a drowsy look at the clock above the door; about a quarter to midnight. While mentally surprised, she didn't move, her slender body remaining utterly unaffected. "You gotta be kiddin' me.." She'd certainly be berated horribly by her grandmother when she returned home, but the teenager knew she'd barely have any energy to deal with it. The girl turned her tired gaze back to him.

"I waited for you to wake up, but you sure did look like you could sleep all night."

Shion yawned. "It feels like I haven't slept at all," she confessed lowly, turning her head to the boy, stroking his blond hair, once more wishing he would open those dark, mallow-colored eyes. It hurt to watch him every day, waiting, but she longed for him. She wanted to be there when he woke up. She missed him; and she knew his little sister did too, but she didn't want the young girl to feel like this.

"You'd better get home; your family must be getting worried."

"Meh.. I bet only my sister is. The rest are sleeping without giving a damn anyway."

"Nah, come on," the doctor encouraged, "they're happy that you've transferred here. Oryō-san, too."

The girl narrowed her teal eyes. "I doubt it." She was a disgrace to her family; she knew that much without them telling her openly. With days of pleading and begging, she had managed to get permission to move to the Sonozaki manor, finally being allowed to be in Hinamizawa, together with the only friends she had. Now she was sharing her twin's room, trying every day to not do anything wrong; the last thing she wanted, was to be moved back to St. Lucia's girl school, far away from everyone.

The doctor sighed. "Oryō-san's following the old traditions too seriously, just like she did with the Hōjōs. Though, she never had anything personal against neither Satoshi-kun nor Satoko-chan, so why would she be against her own granddaughter? Shion-chan, of course she cares about you."

Shion didn't answer, not wanting to talk about all that now. She stroke the same persisting strands of hair away from her eye again, the clock ticking in her ears, filling out the silence. She didn't feel like going home, but she knew she'd cause trouble if she didn't - trouble she didn't need. The teenage girl got up without a word, kissed Satoshi's cheek for a quiet goodbye, and then went toward the glass door. Grabbing the handle, she looked over her shoulder to the doctor. "Goodnight, Irie-sensei. Please call me if anything happens.."

"Of course I will, Shion-chan, as always."

**[A/N]**

So… this is the prologue of my major fanfic, Kurushi-hen. Prologues are meant to be short. Don't shoot me.

Now… I wanted to be at least five chapters ahead once I began uploading Kurushi-hen… but fact is, I am only finished with Chapter 1 (excluding the polishing it needs). This is a bit sad, and I don't feel perfectly ready to upload this fanfic because of that, but… I can't miss this date! Do you guys know what day it is! It's the Watanagashi! And not only is it the third Sunday of June, the 1983 and 2011 calendars happen to be exactly alike, so it is also the 19th June… (I know that was confusing, but basically, Watanagashi in 1983 was the 19th June, and so it is here in 2011). I couldn't miss that, could I?

I expect to upload Chapter 1 sometime this coming week, but I might be delayed, depending on stuff (especially the whole feeling of being behind).

Please leave a review though… they encourage me! :3.


	3. Old Chapter 1

**ATTENTION:**

This chapter contains one or more words in Japane—oh whatever. I don't feel like adding a thing like this for every frikn chapter that's gonna have a few Japanese words, so just be aware that if there is anything in Japanese, you should be able to find a translation note at the bottom if you need it…

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><p><strong>PART I: WE HAVE ONLY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE<br>**

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><p><em>Takano was defeated. The Watanagashi had passed without a 'curse'. The Fate of the Endless June had been broken. Though, that following Thursday, Satoko didn't come home. I knew what had happened, but I dared not to think about it. Devastated, I cried to Hanyū, 'what should I do?'. She slapped my cheek, asking me if I hadn't learned a thing after these hundred years. She made me remember how we, everyone, created a miracle in the world we dubbed Minagoroshi... And once more, that miracle was created. No more would I have to worry about Hōjō Teppei, nor Mamiya Ritsuko.<em>

_Though, we realized that there were still events that had yet to happen in this world - and one problem still left unsolved. And had I only considered how heartbreaking this one problem could turn, then maybe I could've avoided this... maybe I wouldn't have to ask, 'Will this, the very last world, shatter into misfortune as well?'_

**CHAPTER 1.1 (1): DAWN OF DANGER**

A being who no longer possessed the abilities of the goddess she used to be, was woken by the bright morning sun as it lit the room up through the curtains. Age? Quite a few centuries old; Hanyū, neither human, god nor demon, opened her dark-purple eyes. She sat up, stretched and yawned simultaneously. A children's finger - so contrary to her age - ran over one of her curved horns; they were still there, everyday reminding her that she was not human like the others. When she had been nothing but a mere spirit, her demon-like horns had never bothered her, but they were saddening her now. She couldn't hide her inhumanity.. and nor could she prove she was Oyashiro. When the Fate had been broken, most - if not all - of her powers had vanished.. as if her powers had only existed for the mere purpose of helping Furude Rika through an otherwise tragic end.

..they probably had. After all, when she had died, making her daughter sacrifice her, she'd become nothing but an invisible ghost, taking form of a girl the age of eleven years; the same age as Rika's in Shōwa 58 June. Wandering Hinamizawa in solitude for uncountable years, it had been a delight when her descendant Rika had been born; the first person to actually see her. Hanyū had otherwise only interacted with those suffering from the Hinamizawa Syndrome, an attempt to talk to them, an attempt that always had failed and caused even stronger paranoia. They heard her footsteps, they heard her apologize, but never her explanation.

She clenched her eyes, shaking away the thoughts. They didn't matter. She was here now; with everyone, living, breathing. Her past meant nothing to the one she was now.

Hanyū turned her eyes to the calendar on the wall; Monday the 4th July.. Hōjō Satoko had just been saved Wednesday last week from her uncle's abuse, and yet it already seemed so far away. Only the remaining bruises on the blonde's skin were giving away the pain and suffering they had all just been through.

**'''''**

Four hours of sleep had left her completely drained, her mind having drifted elsewhere. She was eating slowly, taking a smaller bite of her rice once in a minute. Her sister was setting up her hair in their shared room, almost finished with the morning routine.

"Child, will you hurry up!" Her grandmother, Sonozaki Oryō, snapped in front of her, her old eyes filled with venom.

The girl, Sonozaki Shion, gritted her teeth, not pleased to have her thoughts kicked away just like that. "I'm tired Onibaba, no need to rush me."

Oryō huffed, displeased. "You have to stop helping out at that clinic. They shouldn't need your help that late at night anyway! What are you even doing there?"

"I-I'm just helping out! Why shouldn't I? They've asked me to!" The sixteen year old girl hated lying... but she couldn't just tell the truth openly. Mion was the only other person who knew she was visiting Satoshi, and at very least until he was awake, it was for the better. Her family despised the Hōjō family. Plus, she was Satoko's '_nee-nee_' now... she couldn't abandon the little girl, especially not right now; it was only five days since she was saved from her terrible uncle.

Disbelief was becoming obvious in the elder woman's eyes. "With such a vague answer, how shall I even believe you? Shion, you are no longer allowed to go there! I want to know where you are and what you're doing until I am certain you're mature enough to take proper care of yourself!"

"W-what! ?" The chopsticks fell right onto the table. "How.. How can... you can't just disallow me for helping out at a frikn _clinic _out of good will! A clinic, Onibaba? ! You know, helping human life! ?"

"Don't talk like that to me! Do _not _forget how I can easily send you back to St. Lucia's!"

Shion forced herself to calm down, lowering her tone; of everything, she didn't want to transfer back to that hell. That school wasn't meant for education; it was a prison meant to brainwash its victims. And not only that, it was a girls-only school. All those rumors and hot-boys-talk were sickening. It was a place for pampered princesses, not normal people like herself and her friends. There was no way she'd ever want to go back to that place. She could always break out to the clinic if Oryō was serious, or maybe live with Satoko, Rika and Hanyū. "Sorry, Onibaba... but I'm not in your way or a problem to you just because I'm tired. I'm causing no kind of trouble, and you need not mind what I am doing, for it has nothing to do with you, nor can it involve you nor the Sonozaki family. So.. why do you even care?"

In a beginning anger, Oryō's eyes darkened even further, her stare digging deep into Shion. Her wrinkles formed around her growling lips. "I have to look at your face every morning. Have some dignity..!"

"Hey-hey, Batcha'!" Sonozaki Mion interrupted, entering the dining room behind their grandmother. She placed a hand on the old woman's shoulder, her voice enthusiastic as always. "Don't talk to Shion, or she'll _never _finish her breakfast!" With a wry smile, the tomboy winked and gave her a thumbs up. Technically, Mion was the younger of the identical twins, but at an early age, they swapped around as they found the difference in their treatment 'unfair'. Shion, biologically the older sister, back then named 'Mion', was always treated with respect and honor, attending the family meetings. Though, because the sisters didn't want to be treated different, they swapped around from time to time, and so had they swapped the day 'Mion' was to be given the oni tattoo, a mark of heritage. That time's 'Shion', who today was Mion, now had that mark on her back. The twins had decided to keep it all a secret, and thus remaining 'swapped' the rest of their lives. Only Shion regretted though; she'd wished she had taken the pain her sister had gone though, the pain that rightfully should've been given to her.

Annoyed, Oryō gritted her teeth, but said nothing, continuing to eat.

Shion found it hard not to smile at her sister's help and encouragement, silently continuing her breakfast too; she was lucky to have a sister like Mion.

**'''''**

Despite it was early in the morning, the weather was already beginning to get hot. It would be a terribly warm Summer this year - probably warmer than good was.

She tilted her red-haired head, looking at the white house patiently. Her and Keiichi were usually on their way to the watermill now, too meet up with the Sonozaki sisters, but he hadn't appeared outside his home yet. Questioning thoughts were racing through her mind; was he home? Was he sleeping? Was he sick? Should she go on, or should she wait?

Ryūgū Rena, fifteen years old, sighed, the lack of the usual company gnawing at her. She'd rather chat with the twins while waiting, instead of standing here without much purpose. There hadn't even been a reply when she had knocked on the door, and the car wasn't there either. A smaller flick of discomfort pricked her as she suddenly imagined having her friend being taken to the hospital for some critical reason, but she shook the thought off; the risk was unlikely.

Turning, the girl left the house behind her, going on alone. It wasn't long until the watermill came into sight, the twins only just reaching it; obviously late as well. No Keiichi, late twins... was something going on without her knowing, or was it all a coincidence? Logic told her it was the latter, but her mind had to wonder if Fate was trying to give them some kind of a message. This wasn't usual, so was something else different going to happen today? Was it a good message, or bad? Would anything change? She shook her thoughts off; she would have to wait and see.

"Mii-chan, Shii-chan! _Ohayō_!" Her cheery voice didn't give away her spinning thoughts.

"'morning, Rena!" Mion waved as the red-haired girl approached them. "Where'd ya put Kei-chan? Were we too rough with him last Friday?"

"I don't think he's as much a coward as you'd want him to be, _Onee_.." Her sister broke in. Rena detected a rather heavy and tired tone in her voice, and immediate worry began pricking her. Her and Rena had become best friends, but there was something Shion wasn't telling. She was hiding something, that was certain, but it seemed to drag on her spirit. Was Shion alright?

"He should be..." A grim smile curved the tomboy's lips, and she put her hands behind her head in her usual, rather dominant gesture. "Once I'm done with him, he'll be shivering with fear every time he hears my name."

The red-haired girl let out a mild giggle. "Rena doesn't doubt that,"_ although, I don't think it'll be with 'fear'. _She knew one thing for a fact; Mion was completely taken with that boy. The only one who seemed to fail to realize that, would be Keiichi himself.

"Should we wait for him?" Shion changed topic, impatiently. All energy was drained from her eyes, apparently looking into the distance, not directing the question to anyone.

"Maybe just for a bit..." The red-haired girl suggested carefully, trying to determine the reason to Shion's exhaustion. True enough, they had all recently helped Satoko out of her uncle's hands, but surely there was more going on..

**'''''**

_Damn it!_

The young boy was dashing through the village, his violet eyes filled with frustration. He was late. His parents hadn't woken him that morning, as they apparently had to go to some town because of his father's work. The boy was aware that some things were beginning to change, but he hadn't expected his parents (especially not both of them) to suddenly have left like that without a warning, so early in the morning. They had only left him a note. It had resulted in him sleeping over himself. The stress from the morning had caused him to forget breakfast and lunch, and his stomach growled in dissatisfaction already. Hopefully, one of the others would be nice enough to share. He wouldn't wonder if he had forgotten a few of his school books as well. He felt certain that this would be a terribly long and boring day.

_The girls are probably all already at the school! Damn it, damn it, damn it! I'll be late!_

The watermill came into his view; Rena and the twins were still there. The proud tomboy took her arm down and pointed at him from the distance. He could imagine Mion's mocking sneering all too easily, even if he couldn't properly see her face just yet.

"My goodness Kei-chan, you're late!" Mion yelled to him as he got closer. "Hurry up, or there'll be punishments from the morning!"

_You try running so much in this weather! Like hell I can hurry more!_

The sixteen year old Maebara Keiichi scowled and tried to quicken his running, rushing to catch up to the three girls. Usually, he and Rena walked together till they met the twins by the mill, but today she had left without him, probably after waiting for a while. He finally reached them, and stopped. Hands on his knees, he stood panting, feeling as though he could throw up.

"Man, how can you just let Rena wait like that!" Shion exclaimed, though, her voice didn't match her words' enthusiasm. Keiichi noticed with curiosity that she seemed tired, but from looking at the other twin, he could tell it hadn't been a family party that had exhausted the younger sister.

"I think Keiichi-kun had really sweet dreams!" Rena could barely stand still. A perverted glint shone in Mion's eyes and a sly smile curved one half of her lips, but she remained silent, briefly gazing at the horizon.

"Had not!" Keiichi objected between his breath, more to Mion than Rena, still looking at the green-haired tomboy. Though, Rena had surely caught his attention, for she quickly ran into him and squeezed him tight, shouting her usual '_omochikaerii_' at him.

"R-Rena! L-let go! I-I can't breathe!" His words were in vain; the girl didn't let go.

Rena began spinning him around, reminding the boy of how her so-called '_kaii-mode_' gave her some kind of unrealistic strength. "Keiichi-kun dreamt about Mii-chan! He did! He did! Aaaw, it's so cute!"

_No I didn't! I dreamt about dancing food, if you absolutely have to know!_

"Okay let's get goin', I don't need Chie-sensei to yell at me again," Mion interrupted suddenly, making Rena stop. Keiichi felt sick, but he looked at Mion when she took the lead; her face was faintly blushing. Her sister smiled slyly.

**'''''**

There had not even been time for the four of them to greet the rest of the club members; by the time they reached the school, their teacher, Chie Rumiko, had almost entered the building. She had looked at them with a warning glance, not even saying 'good morning' to them. Rena was panting by the time she sat down, nodding her greeting to the last three of the little circle of friends, the rest of the club; Hōjō Satoko, recently turned twelve years old, still bruised from her uncle's abuse, the blue-haired Furude Rika, the smallest of them all, eleven years old, and "Furude" Hanyū, who still was a mystery. While the twins and Keiichi sat down, Rena looked around in the classroom, her eyes stopping at the sight of an unfamiliar gaze by the blackboard. She felt a chill run down her spine when he looked at her with dark brown eyes.

_A new student? Here, now? So close to the holidays?_

She scanned him, deciding he had to be about fifteen, or sixteen like the twins. The girl felt as if her stomach twisted with anxiety, hoping he wouldn't replace Mion's class reputation because of his age. Looking at her, she felt certain the tomboy was thinking the same, noticing her sudden nervous tapping with her fingers. Rena knew how proud Mion was of being a leader.

"Class President," Rumiko's voice made Rena jump slightly; the redhead hadn't noticed the teacher coming in.

Mion got up. "Class! Stand. Bow."

"_Ohayō gozaimasu_!" the whole class chanted.

"Be seated!"

With a brief nod, the teacher gave her approval to Mion as everyone sat down. "Class. Today I will introduce your new classmate, transfer student Yoshida Tetsuya-kun."

The boy, Tetsuya, stepped forth. He was very tall and rather muscular, with a short, black hair. Wearing a loose, white shirt and a pair of old jeans. He was looking at the class with a careless expression, his voice cold as he spoke. "Pleased to meet you."

Something inside Rena screamed 'liar', and it was not just the nonchalant attitude the boy had. There was something strange about him, something the girl didn't like. It was as if she already now was certain he would be an enemy to them, a dangerous threat. It had been the same kind of feelings she had had when Keiichi had come into the class, only that Keiichi seemed to feel regret. She narrowed her blue eyes as she watched him walking to the table Rumiko had assigned him to, a table near the twins. Obviously, Tetsuya was in the same grade as them. Herself and Keiichi were a grade lower. The girl had always been good at judging others, but she also knew it would be unfair to not give Tetsuya a chance. Perhaps he had committed a crime like Keiichi had, and just wanted a bit of peace to forget about it. Rena kept convincing herself that was the truth, but no matter how hard she tried, an almost painful jolt kept pricking her, telling her to be careful.

"What's the matter?" Keiichi whispered from his place beside her. When she turned her head, she was met by concerned, violet eyes.

"I..I'm not sure about him," she replied in a hushed voice, turning her eyes back to the boy as the twins introduced themselves. They clearly weren't aware of the same facts. Without listening to them, she could tell Tetsuya seemed a bit uncertain as he looked from one sister to the other, clearly trying to figure how to tell them apart. Rena started to doubt her theories slightly; right now he seemed like a normal transfer student - but her senses still tried to convince her otherwise, as if screaming 'you have been warned'.

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><p><strong>[TN]**

**Minagoroshi-hen:** _Also called the 'massacre chapter'. The major events reffered to in this situation are those revolving the abuse of Satoko, and how she is saved._

**Kurushi-hen: **_'Painful chapter'._

**Nee-nee: **_More or less a female equlevant for nii-nii. Nii-nii is an affectionate term that Satoko uses as nickname for her big brother, Satoshi. Nii-nii and Nee-nee come respectively from Onii and Onee, meaning 'big brother' and 'big sister'._

**Ohayō:**_ Good morning._

**Onee: **_See 'nee-nee'._

**Omochikaerii:** _Rena's typical outbreak when she sees something cute. Can be translated to "I want to take it home", or "I want one for take-out". _

**Kaii-mode:** _Most likely made from 'kawaii-mode'. This is what the club calls it when Rena sees something cute, and because of this, becomes rather hyperactive and strong. _

**Ohay****ō gozaimasu:**_ Again, __'Ohayō' means good__ morning. 'Gozaimasu' makes it more polite._

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><p><strong>[AN]**

Okay, FIRST! To explain the italic text at the first part of this chapter; all chapters in Kurushi-hen are gonna have 'intros'. These intros are pretty much something a character says. Kinda… Well, it can't be predicted which character's point of view these will be in. It'll be a random character really… it might not even be from the club. Some will be easy and obvious (like this one is from Rika) where other's will be more mysterious, and some might seem to come from multiple characters and so on. The length of these intros vary, too. Some might be a good 100-200 words long, others might be just a few 20-30 words. Also, sometimes, they're related to the chapter, other times, they're more like… predicting that shit will happen much later.

Another thing, while I have the goal to make all chapters between 3000 and 4000 words long (this is 2980 words if you need to compare), I can't be certain of anything. My chapters will get the length I believe they need. They'll stop when I see fit. Some will be longer (*cough*, likely chapter 4, omg) and others will be much shorter.

Yet another little thing, I have given the characters the ages I find fitting and what I needed. No, actually, more like what I saw fitting. Don't discuss it with me, it's not going to change if you don't agree… plus, it doesn't really matter for you guys anyway. XD

I wonder if this Tetsuya guy is that bad..? Oh well, time will reveal it. Time will indeed reveal it.

Again, I want to be 5 chapters ahead of uploading… and I am not. Please don't stress me, but leave me a review; they encourage me :3

**Edit:** Dammit, FF.. stop messing with the way I put up my chapters..

**Edit 2:** DAMMIT! I totally forgot about the 'parts' thing! Sorry, guys! ! Kurushi-hen is split up in 3 parts... that's all. Damn.. That's what happens when you write in a perfectly organized program like yWriter, then exports stuff to Microsoft Word...


	4. Old Chapter 2

**PART I: WE HAVE ONLY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE**

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><p><em>'Mii-chan cried to me again the other day', I had carefully begun. I knew I had to stop Shii-chan before she broke her sister too bad. Of course, I was also aware that Shii-chan was only making passes at Keiichi-kun in an attempt to force her sister to tell the boy her feelings, but... Mii-chan called me more and more often, crying in the phone. I knew, without her telling, what was going on.. and it had to be stopped, now.<em>

_'She sometimes see you as a competition...' Shii-chan had answered, after the silence that had followed when she promised me she'd never hurt Mii-chan like that again. I wasn't surprised. I've seen how that tomboy, regret in her eyes, looked at Keiichi-kun and me with envy every time we talked, even more sorrow when I invited him to the junkyard. 'Though, she shouldn't,' I replied. 'Keiichi-kun and Rena might be really good friends - but.. for Rena, Keiichi-kun is more like a brother.'_

**CHAPTER 1.2 (2): OBJECTION**

"Hey, Hanyū-chan," Shion got up, "let me try something."

Rika watched as Hanyū's previously rather distant gaze turned bright with curiosity, looking at the approaching girl. She said nothing when the elder teenager brushed her hands through the lilac hair, dividing it into two with her fingers. Hanyū made a light flinch once when Shion's hand came in contact with a horn, but sat perfectly still, her confused gaze making eye contact with the rest of the club. Though, everyone had the same curious, silent stare.

"Onee, give me your elastic." Shion had wrapped one horn in the first half of Hanyū's hair, holding it together with her hand.

The club leader frowned, and a confused 'huh' escaped her lips.

"Just do it..."

Rika turned her head to the tomboy, who put her hand behind her head, releasing her hair. Too lazy to get up, she passed the hair elastic to Keiichi, who gave it to Shion. The little girl couldn't suppress a smile, realizing what the gentle twin was trying to do; trying to find a natural way to hide the former goddess' horns.

"Voíla~!" Standing up in a proud pose, Shion had her arms stretched out toward Hanyū as if she was showing her new successful creation at a worldwide conference.

"You don't even know what_ 'voila' _means!"

Shion sent the boy a challenging glare with one eye, still in her pose. "Shut up, Kei-chan, I've taken French in the past, I know perfectly well what _'voila' _means."

On the chair, with a rather anxious expression, sat the little girl, her lilac hair set up in twintails with the help of Mion's elastic and Shion's ribbon. The hair was thick enough to hide the horns, unless someone would intentionally search for them and ruffle her hair.

Of course, those twintails didn't stay when 'kaii-mode Rena' suddenly got up, almost flipping over a table in the process, dashing to the girl and taking her up in her arms, swinging her around. "Cute, cute, cute, cute! You're so adowable! I want to take you home so bad!" The redhead went on, chanting, while the club laughed happily (with the exception of Hanyū, who was letting out nervous 'hauu' during it all).

"Rena-san, I doubt she's 'cute' if she throws up on you!" A girl called up from beside Rika, and the blue-haired girl turned her attention to the blonde; even if Satoko was bruised from the recent events, she was smiling, her little canine tooth showing.

The club laughed further as Rena stopped with realization, her 'victim's eyes swirling with dizziness. Then Shion sighed. "Of course, Hanyū-chan.. it was just a suggestion."

A smile curved on Hanyū's lips. "T-thank you, Shion. I think I'll consider it in public,_ nano desu_."

Happiness warmed Rika's heart, and she took a moment to close her eyes. Life was perfect now. They had struggled for hundreds of years to get here, and here they finally were, enjoying every day life as it passed. It was undeniable that Satoko's uncle had had returned, but they had overcome it; they wouldn't have to worry about it, never again. They would all live, breathe, with no severe struggles anymore. They were free.

"Rika, are you sleeping?" Satoko's voice teased, poking the blue-haired girl. "You should sleep at night!"

When Rika opened her eyes, she saw Mion looking at her at the other end of the collected tables, shuffling a deck of cards quick as a professional. A mocking grin was as if plastered to the tomboy's face, but she said nothing, continuously letting her fingers work with the deck.

"Nipah~" The girl tried to shake off the anxiety she felt from the club leader's intense glare.

Mion chuckled lowly and turned her attention to the cards. "You didn't hear what we decided on, did you?"

"Sorry, no, _desu_."

"Too bad for you."

"Aaw, Mii-chan! Poor Rika-chan was just tired, just tired!" Rena said, sitting to Rika's left, making the blue-haired girl realize everyone were sitting around the table now; at the end of the tables, to Rena's left, sat Keiichi. Opposite of Rena, sat Mion. Shion was beside her sister, sitting opposite of Rika, and beside her, was Satoko, opposite of Hanyū. For just how long had she daydreamed..?

Mion quickly slammed the deck of cards down onto the table, leaving them neatly stacked as though placed there with great care. Everyone flinched slightly at the sudden noise, looking at their leader with bewildered respect.

"Onee?" Shion didn't hide her cautious curiosity.

The club leader looked up at them all, her teal gaze solemn. "Tetsuya."

Rika felt as if a tense wave emitted from Rena when the new transfer student's name was mentioned. The red-haired teenager's voice grew almost cold as she spoke. "Yeah..? What about him?"

"It may be a quick thought, taking into consideration this was his first day," Mion began slowly, her tone serious but warm unlike Rena's, "but I'm thinking of inviting him into the club. I thi-"

"I object!" Snapping aggressively, the red-haired girl looked sternly into the tomboy's eyes. Rika shivered; why would Rena object so quickly? Thinking back, the eager teenager had been the first to accept Keiichi into the club.

"Oh? You know him?" There was a low edge of challenge in Mion's voice.

"I.. no,-"

"Of everyone, I thought _you _knew not to judge people so quickly-"

"Same to you."

"H-hey-hey! Mion, Rena!" Keiichi leaned forward to get between them. "What the hell is that attitude about! ?"

"R-Rena," Rika carefully began, sensing the hostile atmosphere. Worry began pricking her heart, and a fear rose inside her, "why would Tetsuya be bad for the club?" _Will he destroy this peace..? _

"Yeah, why would he?"

"Mion! Are you in love with him already or something! ? Hear Rena out!" Keiichi growled lowly at her as he sat down, silencing the fierce tomboy.

Rena flinched when she realized everyone were looking at her (except Mion, who was distracting herself with a random card, trying to cool down her anger). "Well.. I.. I know it's not right to judge anyone, but I think this is way too quick a decision... We don't even know anything about him. We.. we should at least wait and see."

Mion sighed, putting the card back into a random place in the deck, her voice more calm. "Is there any reason in particular why you would interrupt to let us know of your objection in such a hasty manner?"

"Big words.. " Keiichi commented.

"Shut.."

Moments of awkward silence passed by, before Rena answered. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, Mii-chan... but there's just something about him I don't trust. I can't really explain it."

"If he's got a sin, we should help him out of it or allow him to forget about it, rather than let him dwell alone in darkness... I thought that was something we all had learned together with all those.. worlds," she nodded toward Rika and Hanyū.

Rena lowered her head without replying.

"Right. With that," Mion's tone changed completely, as if she threw the recent conversation over her shoulder, "I think it's time for Kei-chan's daily losing."

Mion and Rena's hostility was completely forgotten in a matter of seconds; time was flying once they had begun playing old maid. Since they were using the old set of cards, there was little to no hesitation for each turn, the marked cards easily recognized by everyone. They went with 'best of out eight', since they were only seven members of the club; if everyone happened to lose a round each, there'd always be the last round.

Seventh round was over; Shion, Hanyū and Rika had lost one round each, and both Keiichi and Rena had lost two. It could easily turn into a draw at this rate; if either Mion or Satoko lost now, Keiichi and Rena would both lose. If either Shion, Hanyū or Rika lost, there'd be three losers. There was a grim smile on the club leaders lips, but she remained silent, taking a card from her sister and putting a card-pair in the pile.

"_YEUCH_!"

Everyone's attention turned to Keiichi when he suddenly yelled up and made a wild motion with his hand. The boy then stared at the floor with a disgusted expression. Mion followed his gaze, her eyes catching a rather confused-looking spider, only as wide as a smaller tomato. She turned her head to the boy.

"Come on, Kei-chan... you aren't afraid of spiders, are you?" A tone of mock hinted in her voice, making the rest of the club send Keiichi teasing glares.

"N-no, I.. Just don't like them." Keiichi clearly tried to hide his embarrassment.

"Ohohoho~" Satoko cheerfully laughed, "Keiichi-san's scared of spiders!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Mii~, poor Keiichi, pity-pity~" Rika chanted happily from where she sat.

Mion got up, carefully taking up the arachnid in her palm. "Prove it, city-boy," she grinned, holding her hand toward Keiichi.

The boy shifted himself away ever so slightly, very clearly grossed out. "Forget it, I'm not touching it."

"N'aaw, why not? Are ya scared of this lil' fella? Are ya THAT sissy?"

"No I'm not! I think it's ugly and disgusting, alright! Now get that thing outta my face!" He grab her wrist and moved her hand away from himself. "You're disgusting for even WANT to touch it!"

Mion laughed mockingly. "Heck, Kei-chan! I thought YOU were the man in this club, not me!"

"You've always been a boy, Onee." Shion joked with a wry smile, although her words lacked energy. Rika felt concerned for the teen, but her attention remained on her sister and Keiichi.

"Yeah, I do wonder why I wasn't born a boy, but I'm starting to think that Kei-chan in reality is a girl with a funny voice!" Mion went toward the window.

"I can easily prove my gender to you, right here and right now, Mion.." The boy said with a dirty smirk, eyeing her with a sudden challenging gaze.

"Oh yeah?" Mion opened the window, letting the spider out. She returned the perverted smile as she approached him again. "What are ya waitin' for, then? Let 'it' get some fresh air!"

"Cut it off already!" Shion growled suddenly, snapping at her sister. Turning her head toward her, Rika noticed an anxious blushing on Satoko's cheeks as she looked the other way.

Mion sighed clearly and deeply in annoyance. "Tch.. You're boring."

In the end, Keiichi lost the game.

**'''''**

"So," he let out a wide yawn and stretched as he walked, his body not yet awake, "tell me again exactly why it we needed to leave so early."

"We have to talk to Mii-chan," Rena answered solemnly.

"Right." That explanation was good enough for Keiichi; he was way too tired to really focus on anything anyway.

As he nearly had fallen asleep last night, the phone had rung. He had been pretty reluctant to take it, but had ended up talking for almost an hour with Rena, discussing Tetsuya. Apparently, the girl was pretty determined to not let the new boy into the club, and had convinced Keiichi to leave early today so they could talk to the twins before school.

_This is pretty ridiculous. He's just a guy like me,_ the exhausted boy thought to himself as he suppressed another yawn.

Rena knocked on the door to the Sonozaki manor, and when nothing happened, she rung the door bell. A few seconds passed before it was opened, and the face of a grumpy, elder woman stared at them with increasing irritation. She frowned angrily, gritting her teeth at the teenagers.

"And what on Earth do you think you're doing so early?"

Before Keiichi could say a word, his female friend stepped forward and bowed in respect. "Good morning, Oryō-sama. We need to talk to Mion-chama. It's urgent."

Disbelief edged the woman's eyes before she huffed. "Pft.. youngsters these days. Thinking they can be allowed to do everything with a few gestures."

Awkward silence.. anxiety rose in Keiichi as the woman continued to look at them with a venemous gaze. "S-so.. may we go inside?"

The woman almost spat her words at them. "Yes, and you better hurry before I change my mind! Mion is in her room."

Swallowing, the boy followed Rena as she went in, and as they walked down the hallways, Keiichi yet again felt stunned by the size of the manor. He had been here a few times before, but he had been amazed each time, and this morning was no exception.

Then he realized how Oryō only had mentioned one of her granddaughters. After looking back to be sure the old grump was out of earshot, he turned his attention to the red-haired girl. "Hey, Rena... when Shion moved in here, didn't they say something about they shared room?"

"Yes, they do. Why are you asking?"

"Well... why.. why didn't-"

"-didn't Oryō-sama say 'the twins' instead of Mii-chan? Keiichi-kun... Shii-chan is not really acknowledged here."

"But.. why wouldn't her own family recognize her?"

"Hush," Rena said and knocked on a door. "Mii-chan, Shii-chan? Are you awake?"

The door was slid open, and they were met by tired, teal eyes. "What the hell are you doing here so early," the girl muttered, but didn't seem to expect an answer. Keiichi studied her in attempt to determine which twin it was, but as she stood there, in only a loose kimono and her hair down, with neither a tomboy- nor a gentle sparkle in her eyes, he realized it was impossible to decide. "Whatever... come in." She turned and went toward the corner of the room, where the other twin was still curled up on her futon. "Get up, sleepyhead, we got guests."

Shelves with games, manga, games, decorations, games and some foreign games, were placed along the walls in the room, that, otherwise, only contained a single wardrobe, the two futons in the corner, and a table with paper and pens. As always, it was a miniature museum of games, and clearly still bore heavy traits of Mion, even if a few, seemingly less boy-ish mangas had been put on the shelf since Shion had moved in (and the wardrobe had probably had a major increase in its amount of clothes.)

The twin sat down on her futon as her sister to her right sat up, and Keiichi immediately got even more confused; as they sat there, side by side, they seemed perfectly mirrored. The left twin gestured for them to sit down, which both Keiichi and Rena did without a word.

The left twin blinked at them. "I'm guessing you want to talk about something importa-"

"Oh my God, my head!" Suddenly, her sister almost hammered her head into the other's shoulder, but was immediately pushed away by the surprised girl.

"What the heck!"

"Oow... sorry," the girl rubbed her head, "but I have one hell of a headache..."

"You should stop drinking, you fool."

"I know.. I know..."

Sighing, the girl sitting to the left put her hand on her sister's back, comforting her. Keiichi smiled a little, figuring who was who; obviously, only Shion would be gentle to pet her sister, and only rebellious Mion would be drinking..

Shion turned her attention to the two. "Sorry about that... what do you want to talk about..?"

"Tetsuya-kun," Rena said nonchalantly.

"..that again? I assume you're going to say, 'don't invite him into the club'?"

"Yes."

"Why not?" Shion narrowed her eyes, making Keiichi realize she must be on her sister's side in the matter (who still seemed too busy about her head to really pay any attention to the conversation).

"It's probably more relevant to Mion," the boy remarked before Rena spoke, and nodded toward her; he felt a bit of pity for pushing a matter like this onto a girl who suffered the effects of drinking too much alcohol, but she was the club leader after all.

Shion lifted an eyebrow. "You say it's more relevant to me, yet look at my sister? Kei-chan, I honestly thought you could tell us apart by now."

_..what?_ His cheeks blushed red from hot embarrassment as he turned his attention back to the talking twin. "Oh please.. you're kidding me," he muttered lowly, trying to avoid eye-contact.

The girl gave him a mocking wink that proved she was Mion...

"Oh whatever," Keiichi looked away. "Rena, just... just say what you wanted to say, I'll shut up now."

"Mii-chan," Rena begun immediately, "while I know it's not nice to judge anyone, I just don't trust him. If I recall, I told you when Keiichi-kun came here that I felt he had done something, but regretted it. I get the same feeling from Tetsuya-kun, without the 'regret' part. I feel certain he's a bad person."

Mion took her time to answer. "You have never been wrong before about others, Rena, I'll give you that. But I think that what you just said would give me more reason to invite him. Perhaps a proper circle of friends and fun would eventually make him regret whatever he's done, and change him to a better person?"

"Then I suggest we befriend him and talk to him like normal, but don't let him into the club as of yet, unless he asks for it himself. I agree that it's important to get to know him, but I believe that inviting him, especially so hastily, is wrong."

"You sound like some kind of deputy," Shion remarked, but didn't even look at them; her eyes were fixed on a small dark stain on the wall, that seemingly was very interesting for the still slightly-affected girl.

Mion ignored her sister. "I do see your point, Rena. But I want no hostility toward him in any manner because of your prejudging."

"I never said anything of that. He should, of course, be treated the same as any other transfer student."

"Right... Though, Rena... You really didn't have to come here and say all this. I already decided to wait."

* * *

><p><strong>[TN]**

**Voíla:** _French for 'there it is'._

**Nano desu:** _'that it is', 'that is so'__, something along those lines. Used by especially Hanyū at the end of a sentence, even if it__'s grammatically incorrect.  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]**

Again, sorry for the wait. Sadly, next chapter might not be uploaded all that quickly either. Though, I promise, next chapter will be the last 'happy' chapter before some real stuff begins happening… I don't hope you find this a slow start though, but this story needs some happiness, and trust me, it'll become a severe rarity.

Now… I want to apologize if I offend anyone by using the 'oh my God' line. I definitely don't want anyone to feel insulted, for that's not my intention at all. (And this might sound paranoid, but I have become so very careful with using this line, thanks to a person I used to talk to, but let's not bring that up here.)

I forgot to inform you that this story is divided into three parts… I feel so lame, but anyway… now you know.

So… who do you think is right? Is Rena just paranoid, or is it Mion who's not careful enough? Leave your opinion on this matter in your review! (For.. you're going to review… right..? Right…?)

To Cosmo; _That_ 'little black OC'. 'nuff said.

**Edit:** FUCKING HELL, FF(dot)NET, STOP MESSING WITH MY FORMATTING...! ! ! ! ! !


	5. Old Chapter 3

**PART I: WE HAVE ONLY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE**

* * *

><p><em>Two weeks passed by without incidents. That boy acted like any other usual student, getting the hang of how the school worked. While he was a bit of a loner when it came to the younger kids, he didn't do them any harm. I even saw him get a ball down from the roof to help Okamura-kun.<br>Once, Satoko-chan had trapped him, which had made him rather angry; but he had rather briefly told her to never do that again.  
>By judging from those few things, I'd say he's a friendly enough person, even if he's a bit reserved... and yet, I just felt he was dangerous.. I could reflect and compare him with Keiichi-kun, and all the same while not knowing how. Those two were nothing alike, they had nothing in common... how wrong I was.<em>

**CHAPTER 1.3 (3): ASSOCIATES OF THE PAST**

"I thought you'd be wearing something a little more.. _daring_," Keiichi called, his eyes fixed on Mion as she pulled off her shirt and shorts, standing in a black, one-piece swimsuit.

"Correction; you _hoped_! You pervert."

Shion let out a deep sigh, but couldn't suppress an amused smile, pulling off her own outer clothing and revealing a lilac bikini in the process. With the warm weather at the time being looming over them constantly, the club had decided to go to the pool in Okinomiya this Sunday. They had gathered in Hinamizawa and left together quite early to spend as much time as possible, having fun with each other.

"No, really," Keiichi continued, his voice more confident after he had cast a glance on Shion.

The tomboy rolled her eyes. "Not your business."

_You probably shouldn't think more about it, Kei-chan. She's got one huge tattoo on her back, and is not the slightest proud of it._ A slight sadness grasped Shion's heart, guilt gnawing at her. _A tattoo that rightfully was to be on me. _Then she shook her head; she shouldn't think back now, it was impossible to change the past anyway, and today was meant to be fun.

She looked around at the club, everyone standing in their swimming attire; Rena in a colorful bikini, Satoko, Rika and Hanyū (her hair set up in twintails) in one-piece swimsuits, respectively of the colors dark red, navy blue and white, and of course Keiichi in his dark blue, shorts-like trunks, still arguing with Mion with a smile.

The club leader's voice was filled with threat. "A bikini is for girls, Kei-chan."

"Oooh, so if it was up to you, you'd walked in here with just swim trunks? Though, that's not legal, Mion. The law's sad huh? That had been pretty nice." His voice was edged with perverted mock, his violet eyes narrowed cockily.

"..you're so dead."

Nobody managed to do anything before Mion darted forward and wrapped her arms around the boy, throwing them both over the edge and into the water, leaving a huge splashing from where they disappeared. Seconds later, both heads reached above the surface again, Keiichi letting out rapid coughs.

"Mion, what the hell! That was really dangerous!"

The girl let her head back and laughed loudly. "Oh wow," she began between her laughter, "you-you should've seen your face! You looked so retardedly surprised!"

"O-of course! You've already broken three rules, and we've barely arrived!"

Shion blinked; he had actually counted the number of broken rules. Running around a pool, 'pushing' someone in the water, and jumping into the water where it was shallow enough to stand on the bottom.

"Rules?" Mion's laughter calmed down. "Kei-chan, there's only one rule in my life, and that's regarding punishment games!"

Keiichi smiled grimly. "Then I shall punish you so hard that you'll never forget!"

A surprised yelp escaped Mion's lips as he jumped toward her, and she quickly turned and started swimming away from him, the boy chasing her.

Suppressing a laughter, Shion turned her head to Satoko, Rika and Hanyū, standing in a triangle and throwing the beach ball to each other.

"So, Shii-chan.. You're not going in, are you?" Rena looked up at her from where she sat on a towel, her gaze calm and happy at the same time.

"Nah," Shion laid out a towel beside her and sat down too. "Not right now, somebody's gotta be the lifesaver - Kei-chan's probably gonna need it."

In the water, Keiichi was trying to escape Mion - as she had caught him from behind - trying to twist out of her arms' grasp. The girl had a perverted grin plastered to her face, her head on his shoulder as she was speaking. Though they couldn't hear what they were saying, it had to be something embarrassing, for Keiichi's face was bright red.

Rena laughed mildly. "I think Shii-chan's right."

They watched the club silently for a few minutes, Mion continuously harassing Keiichi, and the younger girls' game getting faster and more intense.

"So, Rena. Why aren't you in?" Shion laid down on her back, closing her teal eyes to avoid the bright sunlight.

"I can't stop thinking about Tetsuya-kun.."

"In love, are ya?"

"Hell no!"

_Good to hear._ It was a surprise to hear Rena curse, but her voice was clear; she wasn't lying or trying to hide anything.

"I just can't place him. He's.. it'd seem he's nice enough... but there's just a few things that's happened that's making me uncertain."

"I think you're right. Satoko told me he's insulted her after scolding her for her traps.. You know, it doesn't bother me he told her to stop trapping him, that's fair enough, but those insults were pretty harsh.."

"He's staring at us. Especially you and Mii-chan."

"Yeah... that sounds pretty right. It doesn't really bother me all that much though, so long as he's only staring."

"I think we should be careful, Shii-chan. There's greed in his eyes."

"Oh come on. He's likely nothing more than a perverted boy. Heck, Kei-chan's staring at Mion sometimes."

"It's not the same. You know that too. When Keiichi-kun stares at Mii-chan, it's all of her, not her chest." Rena's voice grew darker with frustration.

Shion let out a deep sigh. "Okay.. you win. But really, Rena, I wouldn't worry so much about it. Boys look at girls, girls look at boys, it's been like that for generations. He won't do us a thing, Rena. Especially not when the whole club is together, there's nothing that'll break us apart. We're here for one another, we'll alway-"

Coincidentally, one sudden scream deafened out every other noise at the pool, Satoko's voice filled with panic.

"_RIKAAA! ! !_"

**'''''**

A quick, unexpected pain on top of her head was all that was needed to knock her out for that one second it took to fall beneath the surface. A scream barely reached her senses. Open eyes underwater, she saw bubbles of air escape her. She couldn't breathe, water filling her lungs, the world becoming a blur, darkening.

_Am I dying..?_

So often before had she felt life leave her body, felt how her soul was separated from reality. Now it happened again... and she knew this was the last time; this was the last world.

_No.. No! I don't want to die! Not now! _Panicked thoughts, one bewilderment. Mentally, she was screaming, freaking out, but physically she was only growing weaker. _Not now that I finally got my future after so many years! I want to be happy with everyone! I can't die! Not now! No! I don't want to!_

A shape, a figure, grabbed her underwater, arms around her, and within seconds, she was above the pool's grasp, water got coughed up, her lungs exchanging for air. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around her savior, afraid to fall back under the surface. She heard her name get called from everywhere, but closed her eyes, hid her face in the other person's chest, a natural search for comfort.

"I got her," Keiichi's voice sounded right above her, and the girl looked around just in time to see a lifeguard stand outside the water, looking at them with concern. The teenager crawled up the ladder with her, while Mion, impatiently, crawled up elsewhere, hauling herself up over the edge.

"Rika-chan! Rika-chan, are you okay? !" The club leader was running on the patio to them, getting yelled at by the lifeguard, but she didn't seem to notice.

The boy sat Rika down in Rena's lap, where the younger girl quickly was embraced carefully. "Rika-chan?"

"Mi.." She looked around, fully conscious; all her friends were looking at her with worry in their eyes, along with the same lifeguard and a bunch of other people. All the attention creeped her out, but Satoko suddenly lunged forward and hugged Rika tightly, crying against her.

Rika wrapped her arms around her friend. "I'm okay, Satoko. I'm okay." Admittedly, her head was pounding, but she was otherwise fine.

"I'm so glad..." Mion breathed and got up from where she had squatted down. "She's alright," the club leader announced to a group of strangers.

"We're really sorry," an elder teenage boy said, a hard plastic ball in his hands.

"Yeah-yeah, understandable, but you don't have to worry so much, no harm's done."

Rika couldn't quite help it but to smile over Mion's 'whatever'ish attitude; she was trying to dismiss everyone not in the club.. and as the club leader continued, wandering around the area, Rika only confirmed her theory about the tomboy.

"Hey-hey you people, nothin' to see here. You too, lifeguard-guy, she's safe 'n sound, we'll take over here, thank you very much. Who I think I am? Sonozaki Mion, that's who I am. Yes. The real one. Now move it."

Keiichi placed his palm over his face. "Mion..."

The leader returned, squatting down and looking at Rika, apparently ignoring the boy beside her. "You sure you're really okay though? No blur or spots?"

"Nipaah~"

"..yeah. You're okay."

"Rika..? You sure you're fine?" Hanyū's voice was filled with worry, looking at Rika with concern in her eyes.

"I'm a little shaken, but I just need a little rest, _desu_. I'll come play with you all soon!" The blue-haired girl smiled.

"Goodie, I still have something to finish," Mion said and grabbed Keiichi by his neck, pulling him a few steps.

"What the-, Mion! I want to be sure Rika-chan's fine!"

"We don't need to surround her like vultures, Kei-chan," her voice was slightly more serious, "especially not when she obviously just need a bit of peaceful rest."

Keiichi's eyes sought Rika's, and the little girl only nodded in confirmation. Then he wriggled out of Mion's grasp and got up, turning to her in a playful manner. The tomboy immediately jumped into the water, followed by him.

Rika sighed mentally. "Hanyū, Satoko, you should go play too. I'll join you in a moment~."

"But Rika," the blonde girl began, letting completely go of the hug, her eyes slightly teary, "it's no fun when we're only two."

"Very well then," Shion got up, "I need to get in anyway. Maybe we can make Mion and Kei-chan finish up whatever they're doing and make them join us too," the teenager said as the three of them went into the pool.

Rika studied her friends, playing in the water. Happiness.. to anyone else's eyes, this was pure happiness, friendship, enjoyable company... but the more the little girl stared, the more she had to realize in defeat that these happy days were limited. There was still one problem left to solve, one problem... and the more she thought about it, the stronger grew her paranoid feelings.

"I wonder if he's blind.." She muttered lowly to Rena in her mature voice, her eyes still focused on Keiichi and Mion.

The red-haired teenage girl had a moment of hesitation before she replied her younger friend, her voice equally quiet, "obviously, you know too.."

"I think its only Keiichi who doesn't seem to realize it... or maybe he just doesn't want to."

"Rika-chan..? What do you mean?"

Rika shrugged; love.. a topic that had only caused misery and pain in all those worlds. "Maybe he doesn't _want _to realize Mii's feelings. Just because _she _likes _him_, doesn't it mean _he _feels the same."

"Rika-chan! Please don't say things like that.. Mii-chan's already stressing about it.." Clearly, Rena knew everything about what was going on.

"True, I've noticed that.. she's spending more and more time trying to make him notice her. Still though, we can't deny that possibility.." Rika bit her lower lip in realization. _Crap.. 'Love' was the entire reason for Shion to ever go crazy in the past worlds... They're twins, so obviously Mion has it in her, too.. if this problem isn't gonna get solved, she might become violent. Hell, I hate all this mushy shit.. _

"We'll have to wait and see."

_In so many worlds, I patiently watched as a bystander... it wasn't until the last worlds, I tried to fight. Are you sure we should just 'wait and see', Rena? If Mion's gonna fuck up this world, I'll blame _you _for it._

"Anyway, Rika-chan," the red-haired girl's voice turned all cheery again, as if their rather dark conversation had never happened. "Are you up for play again? Are you?"

A smile formed on Rika's lips - a smile that showed more joy than what really was in the girl's heart.

The time that passed turned into the past, the day slowly beginning to cease its existence with the orbiting sun becoming lower on the continuously reddening sky. With the approaching sunset, the club was leaving the water, putting on their clothes. Biking, on their way home, they were still happily laughing, goofing around as they always did, enjoying each other's company.

Reaching the middle of Okinomiya, their leader put her foot on the ground, stopping, causing the rest of the club to do the same.

"Mion-san?" Satoko looked upon the older teenager, her eyes curious.

The tomboy turned her head over her shoulders. "Hey, everyone! I don't know about you guys, but I'm kinda hungry!"

Rika looked at the building she had stopped in front of; a café. It wasn't a big restaurant like Angel Mort, but rather a smaller, less crowded one. It seemed pretty nice. "Aaaw.. pity-pity.. I don't have any money on me." She tried to hide the disappointment she felt of being unable to join her friends.. she didn't want them to feel guilt.

"Huh? Oh. Don't worry about it, this old man will pay for ya'all!"

"You're in an awfully good mood today, Onee," Shion's voice was filled with tease.

Keiichi tried to not act as impressed as he clearly was. "..tch. You really don't know what to waste your money on, eh?"

**'''''**

"Yo, Mio-chan!"

The club had barely gotten outside the café when time stopped. A voice.. so well-known, familiar... but at the same time, distressing. It wasn't pleasure and happiness that washed over Mion; it was a forgotten pain, a repressed misery. Sorrow, anger, hatred, burning in her veins on what was nothing more than a greeting from a guy she instantly recognized.

And then, she felt vulnerable. Scared, certain that death was looming over her. She almost felt as if boiling water washed over her body, a desire to scream, even if it was only in vain. So outraged, so hurt. Betrayed. Longing to run into a dark, dark corner, and stay there the rest of her life, escaping whatever Fate had in store for her.

Yet, she knew her friends were there. Keiichi, Shion, Rena, Rika, Satoko, Hanyū... they were there. They'd fight for her if necessary. She wasn't alone. She didn't need to feel scared, didn't need to succumb to the terrifying memories, memories of hurting. They gave her courage, strength. With a fury burning like a fire inside her, waiting to explode, she turned her head to where the voice came from, her teeth gritted, her eyes outraged.

"Fuck off, Shinjō."

"Aaaw, you won't even_ -kun _me?"

"Fuck off."

"Tch.. You've gotten yourself quite the fitting manners for a lady." A man, 21 years old and quite taller and broader than Mion herself, smirked at her. There was mock in his eyes, challenge... He wasn't alone either; three other men accompanied him; one who was really tall and rather slim, in the age of 20, looking away. The two others, both 18, one much smaller than the other, were both staring at her, the smaller of them copying his leader's mocking glance, the other giving her a rather dirty wink.

Curiosity and caution were as if coming in waves from her friends to Mion, and an added protective aggression building up in Keiichi as he stood beside her, his eyes fixed on the group in front of them. _Moron.. For one thing, I don't need help, Kei-chan.. second, there's no way in hell you can beat any of them, not even one-on-one._

"Shinjō, I don't give a frikn' damn about what you think of my language and manners. You have no influence over me, and I don't care shit about you. You and your ''fwiends'' can go to hell for all I care. Now, get out of my life."

Three of them laughed, lowly, clearly finding her pathetic. The fourth, the tallest, was still avoiding eye contact.

"..what's going on?" Satoko asked quietly, and Mion pictured her looking up at Shion with concerned eyes. The club leader didn't turn around, her gaze focused on the gang, but she listened intently to what her sister was saying, ready to slap her if she was telling too much.

"Erh.. Simply put, Mion used to be with them, although they.. hurt her."

The hesitation.. Shion was definitely aware, careful with her choice of words.

"Them? But they.. they're so much older.." Rena almost whispered.

True. Shinjō was five years older.

"How 'hurt'?" Keiichi was growling furiously.

"Betrayal.." Mion almost spat. They didn't need more detail..

"Betrayal? Callin' us traitors? You're the traitor here, man, you left us. And Mio-chan, you haven't introduced us to your friends! These two are Aoyama and Togashi, the quiet tower's Kagami, and I'm Shinjō, in case you didn't figure."

The tomboy took a step forward in anger and threat. "I have no reason to expose the identity of my friends to scum like you!"

"Ahaha, harsh, aren't you?" Shinjō laughed. "You really have forgotten everythin' we taught you?"

"TAUGHT ME! ? _TAUGHT _ME! ? ! ARE YOU JUST FUCKED UP SICK! ? WHAT YOU ''TAUGHT'' ME CAUSED ME TO LINGER IN PAIN FOR _DAYS_, DO YOU REALIZE THAT! ?"

In surprise, everyone present stared at Mion in the silence that followed her outraged yell. The tall guy, Kagami, then bowed his head, in apology, seeking the tomboy's eyes. Shinjō smirked again. "I think Mio-chan is a lil' pissed."

"FUCKING STOP CALLING ME THAT! GET LOST! ALL OF YOU! DON'T YOU HAVE ANYTHING BETTER TO DO! ?"

"Woah woah, Mio-cha~n," Shinjō mocked again, "be careful you don't bite your own tongue."

"LEAVE! FUCKING DAMN LEAVE!"

"'Strong words indicate a weak cause-"

"FUCK OUTTA MY LIFE! !"

Shinjō sighed and turned around. "Come on, guys. She seems tired of us, she's got new friends to play with. Though, Mio-chan," he looked over his shoulder, "once a thief, always a thief."

Anger almost turned her pupils to narrow black lines, and Mion threateningly approached them, ready to fight, ready to beat them into a pulp, when a hand grabbed her shoulder tightly, stopping her.

"Onee, stop. If that was true, then they just stated they're still stealing. Just ignore them, 'kay?" Concerned eyes met Mion's as she looked back at her sister. Shion shook her head slowly, her voice low and filled with comfort. "Don't worry about it. You've got us now, and we'll never hurt you like that; we care so much about you. You can trust us. Don't worry about those guys, ever again."

Mion looked into her sister's eyes for several, silent seconds, then had to do everything in her power to not cry. She put her hand to her head as response to her agonizing headache, gritting her teeth.

"Mion..? Are you okay?" Keiichi's voice.. worried..

The club leader looked up, and what met her eyes only confirmed Shion's words; they all stood, looking at her with the same concern.. they were all there for her.. they'd always be.

Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Everyone.. t-thank you..."

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]**

You know what? I had even spent time to write an author's note prior to finishing this chapter, but I've decided I'll leave ya guys outta my complainin'.

And if someone says Keiichi-x-Rika, I'll shoot them. Friends help each other, guys. End of story. If you felt that that Keiichi saved Rika was some kind of love-related thing, then you will have severe problems getting through this fanfic without getting confused over relationships. There's differences in loving someone, and being in love with them. I know I love all of my friends. So does everyone in the club, at very least in this fanfic.

I apologize for the long wait of this chapter… next chapter shouldn't take as long, (not only because I've already written half of it, it's DARK~) so hopefully I can upload it before I go to Genki Con this weekend.. then again maybe not. Don't count on anything.


	6. Old Chapter 4

**WARNING:** If, once you've read this chapter, thinks this is bad… then you should probably not continue reading Kurushi-hen, this chapter is mere children's play compared to later stuff – yes, I'm a bitch to those poor characters.

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><p><strong>PART I: WE HAVE ONLY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE<strong>

* * *

><p><em>I couldn't sleep. My memories were replaying in my mind, over and over... It wasn't fair; I had finally gotten over it all, finally been able to forget it, but upon seeing their faces.. all those horrible memories came crashing down inside my head. I felt a terrible throbbing, the pain I felt back then not forgotten.<br>That was when I felt a hand being put on mine. I turned my head, and saw my sister lying beside me, her eyes sympathetic. With a low, gentle voice, she told me she had pleaded to our grandmother that she wanted to take at least half the punishment. She admitted to me, that she had known everything all along, despite I had kept it secret from everyone.  
>She's the best sister one could wish for...<em>

**CHAPTER 1.4 (4): BETRAYAL**

Sirens and red-and-blue blinking lights were right outside the window. A twelve year old girl felt her heart beat faster, the loud noise screeching in her ears, the bright lights almost blinding her vision.

"Hurry up!" She called almost desperately to the four boys, ages from fourteen to seventeen, as they continued to fill the bag with various things of high value. The gang had one strong promise; if one was caught, the rest would turn themselves in immediately. They would all stand together, and if one fell, they all fell. Still though, none of them wanted to get caught, and time was running out.

It wasn't because she needed anything; the young Mion had everything when it came to value, and she definitely wasn't poor either. She knew that what she was doing was wrong, and was well aware of how bad it would turn if she, the next heir of the Sonozaki family, was caught. Everything she had of reputation was at risk every time she robbed with her friends, and even her whole family's reputation could get seriously damaged... but all these things were exactly why she did it; everyday life was boring. Having nothing to do all day except school was simply too little for her. Unlike most kids her age, she didn't even _need _to clean her room, didn't _need _to help with dinner, didn't _need _to do anything; and doing anything without being ordered to do it wasn't in her nature. It was downright boring. That was why she begun doing these criminalities; the adrenaline that pumped through her blood, the rapid heart that almost escaped her chest, and of course, these friends she had made. Admittedly, the gang were supposedly filth compared to herself, but they were the only ones she had. With her sister sent to some locked school far away, and nobody she really considered friends in her school, she was quite lonely.

"Right guys, they're almost inside!" Mion said from where she sat in the dark shop, having climbed on top of a shelf to be a look-out.

"Yeah, we're getting out!" The oldest of the boys replied and took the lead toward an emergency exit that wasn't blocked by the police.

Gracefully, she jumped down the shelf the same moment as an overweight police officer entered the shop, all the lamps getting turned on. Upon landing on the floor, Mion accidentally tripped, and panic began flowing in her veins as she got up. She started to run, when a hand grabbed her shoulder painfully tightly. The girl tried to wriggle free, fighting to not get caught.

"Guys!" A yelp that much resembled that of a terrified pup's, escaped her lips as she called for help, still trying to writhe out of the officer's grasp. "Guys!"

Three of the boys left out of the door the same moment, but the fourth turned around, meeting her eyes. He watched her struggle, then waved a quick goodbye before following the rest of the gang.

A dumbfounded Mion stopped fighting, her eyes locked on the door her comrades had just disappeared through. Disbelief and sorrow clouded her eyes, pain stabbed her heart; they left her; they had broken the promise.

"Good evening.. Sonozaki Mion-san," sounded a deep voice behind her.

Trying not to cry, she turned her head slowly to look at the officer; Ōishi Kuraudo. "Hi..." she breathed lowly, trying to return the calm gaze.

"What a surprise, to find you here.. in Okinomiya.. in the middle of the night. I don't suppose you were here to try and catch them?" There was a low tone of mock.

"No.." Her voice spoiled how close she was to crying. "It's what it looks like.."

He gave her a clearly fake smile. "How nice of you to be so co-operative; it makes my job a whole lot easier! I hope you'll be equally honest at the station."

"Yeah.. that's how it works, isn't it? I suppose there isn't much to do about it..."

"You're damn right."

**'''''**

Her whole body was trembling, a headache was throbbing threateningly, her vision was blurry and she was about to pass out. She had been sitting in the interrogation room for ten minutes, but had been unable to answer a single question, barely registering any words, struggling to stay awake. After having realized her panicked state, Ōishi had offered her a glass of ice-cold water, but the girl didn't even seem to notice it.

Mion was utterly terrified; her mind was circling like a tornado, thousand of images occurring in her head all at once, pictures of how she'd be tortured as punishment once she got home. She'd be killed for sure, slowly and painfully. Probably with venom, or maybe inside the iron maiden in the chamber, or hanged in a chain, or have her eyes ripped out, her hands cut off, be cut bald so everyone could see her crimes, be fed to the crows...

Her mind finally 'clicked', repressing her violent thoughts. All that now was left was the sorrow from being abandoned when she needed help the most. If her 'friends' had kept their promise, then maybe she wouldn't get as bad a punishment. Right now, it looked like she was the only one responsible for a huge number of robberies the past months, but if they had been caught too, she could always lie, say they forced her to join them...

No.. lying was wrong too. Lying was the last thing she should think of doing now. The girl broke down in a violent crying, hiding her face in her crossed arms on the table.

She wasn't sure for how long her tears had been racing down her cheeks by the time they stopped, but they had left her headache even more intense. Slowly, she sat up again, drying her eyes. A moment of hesitation passed, then she took a careful sip of the water - a sip that, once she realized how thirsty she was, quickly emptied the glass.

Her eyes then finally focused on Ōishi, who had been looking at her all along. "Please... don't tell my family anything."

"I have already called your family, Sonozaki-san."

Her head dropped low. "Right..." Of course he had. They were probably on their way right now. Mion bit her lips hard in sudden anger, hoping she could hide her rage properly from her voice; she wanted revenge. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything, if you please. You can start off by telling me who your friends are."

She couldn't keep in a low, sadistic chuckle. "Koreshige Shinjō, seventeen. Hiratoki Kagami, sixteen. Noritoshi Aoyama and Yukimori Togashi, both fourteen."

"Quite older than yourself, are they not? Sonozaki-san, are you by any chance forced into this?" There was a hint of disbelief in the elder man's voice, as if he still didn't quite believe Mion willingly was part of the robberies.

"No... It-It's been my own will all along." Well. She was a bit scared of Shinjō, but that was more because he had a habit of drinking, and alcohol made him violent. Kagami had always gotten her out of harm's way though.

Ōishi narrowed his eyes. "I would like you to be perfectly honest with me. It doesn't seem unlikely for me if these older guys have been abusing you.. sexually."

The girl flinched ever so slightly, a bit surprised. "N-no."

"Be honest."

Mion hesitated, feeling slightly awkward over the subject. "I haven't been.. 'used'.. but.. A-Aoyama.. he.. 'touched' me once in the past, but.. but I'm fine." She felt a rush of anxiety when Ōishi wrote down on his papers, but that feeling was quickly covered by vengeance.

"Right. Can you tell me anything about locations, such as their homes and hide-outs?"

"Erh.. We hang out at Shinjō's place, so that's the only one I know about.. That'd be in Okinomiya, farthest away from Hinamizawa. I can't remember the address, but it's a tall high-rise block, a flat on the second floor."

As Ōishi noted down, Mion almost jumped at the sound of her grandmother's shouting somewhere on the other side of the door. Panic widened her eyes, and her body started shaking again. A sweat drop rolled down her face, tears began pressing, and she swallowed before apologizing repeatedly, her voice barely more than a whispering.

"What the hell are you talking about? ! An interrogation's not necessary, we'll take over from here!" Came Oryō's voice, outraged. "Hand us that girl and we'll spare your jobs! Don't forget how easily we can make you all unemployed!"

A deep sigh came from Ōishi as he got up and went outside the interrogation room. "Sonozaki-san, I have to inform you that it is part of our job to ta-"

"I don't care shit about your jobs! _She _is part of the Sonozaki family, we'll take care of it on our own!" The way the elder woman spat the word 'she' with disgust and hatred.

Swallowing, Mion got up and showed herself, walking out in the hallway. Her head was hanging low in submission as she looked at her furious grandmother in silence.

_Slap!_

It was impossible for the girl to not keep in a yelp when Oryō's hand hit Mion across the face.

"Get in the car!"

The girl nodded, her cheek burning with pain, the fear in her heart increasing with every beat.

"Please don't be too hard on her," Ōishi's voice spoke behind her, "she's only a child."

"Tch! Don't tell me how to raise her! We'll only treat her the way she deserves.."

**'''''**

"Has the punishment been prepared! ?" The old woman's voice shrieked, echoing off the walls in the torture chamber.

"Yes, Oryō-sama."

Swallowing, Mion looked around, seeing how her closest family had already gathered - even Shion was there. The twins exchanged glances, with fear and sympathy respectively. Yet, everyone else were staring at the tomboy with cold eyes.

"Batcha..." A low whining escaped the tomboy's lips. "B-batcha..." She tugged carefully in her grandmother's sleeve.

"What? !" Eyes full of venom turned to her.

"Batcha, I.. I don't want to die..."

An almost sadistic smile curved the woman's lips, and she let out a low laughter. "We'd never kill you - you wouldn't learn anything from that."

A shiver ran down Mion's spine, and she followed Oryō again, into the middle of the room. Then the girl was guided to the wall, standing with her back toward the watching family.

"Take off your clothes," Oryō's voice sounded behind her.

She was about to ask 'why', but was too scared to question the furious woman and obeyed, taking off everything with the exception of her underwear. Even so, shame was already washing over her, and she felt uncomfortable when one of the Yakuza men came over to lock her wrists and arms in restraints that were bolted into the wall. When he had made sure she couldn't get out, he left the terrified girl again.

"I CAN'T SEE THE DEMON!" The elder woman spat.

Panic made Mion's heart skip a beat when she felt someone grab her hair, and she desperately hoped in that brief second that they wouldn't cut it off, though, they put it over her shoulder to get it in front of herself. Then her bra was opened, but she tried to ignore it, even as it glided carefully down her arms on either side of her.

Low, almost demonic laughter sounded behind her, but even despite she could, Mion refused to look over her shoulder. She didn't _want _to _know _anything.. she just wanted all this to be done with. Sweat trickled down her forehead, mixing with her tears as they dropped onto the floor. Her stomach hurt with nausea, her head was thundering with pain. She was more scared than she ever could remember being.

"Mion," Oryō's voice was suddenly calm, but to the young girl, there was no mistaking the dangerous tone; it was a voice without a single trace of gentleness or sympathy, a voice that made her shiver with fear, "do you understand your sin?"

"Y-yes..." Her whimper was followed by her agonized scream as pain ripped across her back, a whip hitting her so hard that her skin got torn in a long line.

"Do you understand your sin! ?" The old woman spat again.

"YES!" Again, the whip ripped at her.

"_DO YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR SIN! ? !_"

"YES, I DO! I DO!" Once more, the whip stroke her. Lines of warm liquid were trickling slowly down her back.

"Wash that back of hers clean of that filthy blood!"

What took only seconds, felt like hours; above Mion, a bucket of hot water was tilted, washing over her body. The girl couldn't possibly keep in a scream, she desperately tried to get free (but was barely able to move because of the tight restraints), cried and begged almost unconsciously for the pain to go away. Then ice-cold water followed, but rather than soothe her heated skin, it only added to the pain, the extreme temperature-change being immensely unforgiving. "I UNDERSTAND, I UNDERSTAND, _I UNDERSTAND! _I'M SORRY! I WON'T DO _ANYTHING _LIKE IT AGAIN!"

"Like hell... you're too dumb to understand a damn thing," Oryō growled and whipped the girl again.

"Mother... Mother, help me! Help me! Make her stop! Mother! _Mother!_" An instinctive need, a desperate plea for help, comfort, escaped the tomboy's lips, only to be ignored. While Mion could not see it, Akane gritted her teeth and looked away, pretending to not hear the vulnerable cries of her child. "Mother! Please, I beg of you! It hurts! It hurts so much, help me! Father! Shion, Kasai-san.. uncle!"

"Oh shut up, you_ pathetic _brat."

Another whip silenced the girl for words, but she was crying hard, feeling utterly betrayed and alone. She hoped that she, for any reason, would die right now. No matter how, as long as it was quick and painless... anything to get out of this hell.

"Crybaby, I said _SHUT UP_!"

Rapidly, Mion's back was whipped with several hits, and the girl struggled with forcing herself to stop crying, feeling as though she was getting strangled, barely breathing. All the pain... it was too much for the young girl to endure. _Anyone, help me... save me._

"Mion, come here."

The girl panicked immediately, wanting to obey to avoid more punishments, but was stuck to the wall. _It's not fair! You can't order me to come when I'm locked up! How am I supposed to get out! ? It's not fair, it's not fair! ! ! _She desperately tried to get out with all her power, fighting like a wild horse, in attempt to show her obedience. When (to no-ones surprise) she couldn't get out, she felt as though the whip was already in the air, ready to strike her back. "B-Batcha! ! Batcha, d-don't hurt me, I can't g-get f-free! !"

Laughter sounded behind her from the old woman, mocking, entertained laughter. "So pitiful you can be if only in a bit of pain. Where did all your strength and confidence go, Mion? All your courage and independence, eh?"

Before she seemed to notice, a man unlocked her wrists and arms. Mion quickly put her hands to her back in attempt to close her bra, but upon even brushing her sore skin, she moaned in pain, giving up (which, when she first put her arms down, made the bra slide off completely). She crossed her arms in front of her breasts instead before turning around, avoiding the gazes of her family, her sole focus remaining on Oryō. Upon her movement, she could feel various lines of both hot and cold water run down her skin, burning and freezing her respectively, and had she looked down, she would've noticed the blood spattering that lay across the floor. She was shaking like crazy, struggling to not fall to the floor unconscious. Ever so slowly, the girl started to walk toward her grandmother, and upon immediately stepping on a puddle of hot water, she flinched and almost fell, her foot burning.

"Not that way! The other way, you idiot!" With eyes full of hatred, Oryō stared at her granddaugther, her teeth gritted aggressively.

She would've tilted her head in confusion, hadn't Mion been too afraid to act questioning. Though, looking at the floor of the other side of the wooden cross table (which was used for other tortures), she felt her courage and strength drop completely; thousands of small, shattered glass shards were spread out in a long path, meant for her to walk. _..Why? This is completely pointless.._

Swallowing, preparing herself for further pain, she went toward her third punishment. She was even too scared to hesitate, walking on the sharp shards, feeling them dig into her delicate skin. The girl was still struggling with keeping herself quiet, longing to just let all her tears and cries out - and desperately in need of a tight, comforting hug.

She finally approached Oryō, bowing her head in deep submission. The girl wasn't surprised when the elder woman slapped her cheek; but it still hurt.

"Do you understand your sin, Mion?"

"Of course. Of course, I do." Her voice trembling, Mion looked up at her, fear in her heart. If not a 'yes' was enough of an answer...

_Slap!_

"_NO_, Mion! No, you do not! You understand the _punishment _that was given to you, but you do not understand your own _sin_! You do not understand the 'punishment' you have given a great number of _innocent _people, trying to sell their stuff as a method of _living_! What is even worse, you were _born _to be the _next heir _of the Sonozaki family, and yet, you become the most _moronic _piece of shit, the most _filthy _and _unwanted low-life_! You're lower than the_ stray dogs_, digging for _rotten leftovers _in the garbage! ! _Got it_! ?"

The girl nodded, no longer certain what to do or say.

_Slap!_

"And as though you're not low enough, you even _dare _to lie to my face! I cannot see why I don't just kill you, right here, right now, you _bitch_! Get back to your room! ! And the rest of you, you're dismissed!"

Not a second passed until Shion sprang up to her sister, putting her jacket around the twin. "Onee! Onee, it'll be okay!"

Mion broke, finally letting out her tears and heavy crying. "Shion... Shion help... It hurts..." Upon looking into the eyes of her concerned sister, she realized that Shion too was crying.

"I promise you, it'll be okay," Shion whispered gently, then carefully embraced Mion, making the hurt girl flinch when her sore back was touched, instantly stopping Shion. "Let's get back.. your wounds really need to be treated..."

Escorted by her sister, Mion carefully limped (an especially sharp shard was stuck under her foot, making every step immensely painful) up the stairs, outside in the dirt and sand, and back to the main house, all with her grandmother behind her, mocking her.

The girl was angry.. this was all that gang's fault. If they hadn't betrayed her, or maybe even better, if they never had let her become a part of them.. then all this pain and agony would never have happened. She'd never forgive them; and if she ever saw them again, she'd make her hatred obvious.

"You better not make a mess in the house," Oryō sneered before Mion went inside.

"Oh will you shut up!" Shion turned around and snapped, then turned her attention back to Mion before the elder woman could say anything. "Just get in bed.. I'll clean up, then I'll come in and help you, alright?"

Mion tucked the jacket tighter around herself, still crying, still hurting, but so happy her sister was there for her. She limped through the house to her room, while Shion left for finding whatever she'd need. The family were going home, with the exception of the twins' parents, who obviously were going to talk to Oryō about everything that had happened..

_If only they'd listen to me.. _The girl thought sadly, struggling to get down to her futon. She was tired... so tired, exhausted. Her pains were almost numb by now, she was barely awake.

"Leave her alone," Oryō's voice sounded outside the door, threateningly. "Or she'll never understand."

"Shut up! I won't leave my sister to die!" Shion opened the door.

"Nobody dies from a little pain-"

"But suicide's not far away from a broken girl like her!" The pissed twin snapped and closed the door. Her voice was unable to hide her obvious worry. She was carrying bottles and bandages, approaching her sitting sister. Tears were racing down both twins cheeks still. "Alright, Onee.. Take it easy now, and let me help you." She took off the jacket and helped her sister down on her stomach.

Mion moaned, but wasn't strong enough to complain when Shion begun removing shards from her feet and cleaning the wounds with disinfective while assuring her sister it wasn't as bad as it felt. She was careful as she smeared something soothing over the burnt body, but it still made the hurt girl flinch. Then she wrapped her in bandages wherever it was needed. They were both silent during the treatment, except for a bit of soft encouragement escaping Shion's lips.

Shion sat back and studied her sister briefly. Then she dried her hands off in her pants. "I don't think there's more I can do for you.." there was a clear edge of regret in her voice. "Sorry."

Silently, Mion looked up at her sister, tears still rolling down her cheeks. Her voice was hoarse, but easy to understand. "Why do I have to grow up to be a cold bitch like her...?"

"S-sorry, Mion... It should have been me... I'm sorry.."

"No, it shouldn't... I'm happy we changed.. I don't ever want you to have such burden and pain... still, I don't want to be like her," a slight determination burned powerfully in her eyes as she made a promise of the future, "I will just endure her. Once I reign, the tormenting will stop. I will rule the village, respected for justice rather than feared for ferocity."

Shion couldn't keep back an intense smile. "I'm so happy to hear that, Onee. You'll be a great and strong leader, I'm sure of that! I'm proud of you. Hinamizawa will be the best place ever, once you're in charge!"

Returning the smile, Mion's heart started to long for that future. Her sister's words cheered her more up than anything else ever could hope to achieve - and they had also saved the tomboy's life. Her willpower hadn't been strong enough to heal her body, suicide had been circling in her mind; but these promises for the future, and Shion's encouragement, pushed all that away, leaving Mion with a strong will to live, survive.

"Shion! We're going home!" their father's yell sounded, his voice coming from the living room.

The girl sighed deeply. "I'd best go.."

"Yeah," Mion muttered sadly, "but thank you, Shion."

Shion smiled gently to her twin, and put her hands on Mion's cheeks, the sisters exchanging strong glances. "Get well soon, dear Onee. You're loved; don't forget that." She pressed her lips to her sister's forehead. "Goodnight."

"'night, Shion," the tomboy said when her sister let go and got up. "And really... thank you."

"Don't mind it. We're sisters! We'd always help each other forever - and Onee, in the future... please share _all _your secrets, like I share everything."

"Of course... sorry."

"Don't apologize, you fool," Shion said in a light voice, "just get some rest."

"I will."

Shion smiled to her sister once more, then left the room silently.

Mion laid there, her mind a turmoil of feelings. One part of her was hurting; her injured body as well as the pain of betrayal. Another part of her was happy that she had a sister like Shion, someone who loved her for who she was, someone who didn't judge her. A third part was filled with rage, hatred burning to those who had harmed her. And a fourth part was just plain-out exhausted.

She heard the door to her room open again, and without looking, she knew it was her mother; her presence was familiar for the child. Though, even before Akane spoke, fury burned in Mion's veins; that traitor. Her very own mother, of everyone on earth, should have helped her, should have acted on the cries of the child she had born.

"Mion... Are you okay?"

"FUCK OFF!"

She could imagine her mother's surprise; never before had she cursed at anyone like that, and yelling such harsh words at her own family...

"Fuck off, I hate you!" Mion shouted, before breaking into crying, hiding her face in her pillow.

But what Mion did not know, was that this wasn't the last time she'd cry like this. It was _far _from the last time.

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><p><strong>[AN]**

Alright, guys. Even though I've uploaded chapter 4, I'll have to say I'm still taking a kind of break from Kurushi-hen (so don't expect any updates too soon.. It's just because it's been a whole month since I last uploaded anything for this fic.)

I want to say something important about this chapter; the whole chapter's important. Yes. Very important. Important indeed. You may think, "what the hell, this is the past?" and well. In that sense, it's not important. But the whole damn chapter, every tagline you'd put on it, every plot, every concept,... it's all one huge key-scene to all of part II. All of part II, you can relate to this chapter. If you just think about it. But, I won't say the keywords.. because then I'm spoiling too much. Just remember, this chapter was not pointless (which next chapter will be, kinda..) It's important.

Also, I'll shoot those who says 'twincest'. They care about each other. End of story. And yes, I'll probably say stuff like this a LOT of times (I did in previous chapter too, about Keiichi and Rika). I just want you to understand one thing, again; loving someone doesn't mean you're in love with them. That is all. Remember that, and you'll get through Kurushi-hen safely.

...I certainly hope I'LL get through Kurushi-hen though... ugh. This story is damn complex. I'm glad next chapter is a kind of filler really.. then I can upload something in the not-so-distant-future, and still work out this damned timeline of hell which is seriously driving me MAD. I can't WAIT till I'm finally done with putting part I together! It's almost painful! ):

Dear faithful reviewers, I was thinking of y'all when I uploaded this. It's because of you guys that I uploaded this chapter rather than waiting. Ain't you just happy and proud now? Ain't ya? Thought so. Now leave one more 8) *ego*

(Alright, alright.. it's your choice.. but I'd be lying if I said I didn't care whether you review or not, because I'd indeed care; I'd be happy. And I suppose happiness is needed in these...dark times.)

ALSO~ Follow my tumblr for fanfic updates. I was looking for a blog host because I want to be able to keep people updated on my fanfic progressing and sudden breaks and whatnot... and the most simple blog service I could find was tumblr.. so yeah. There's a link on my profile. I'm Cherrylin94 there. I know. I know, that's hard to guess. If I didn't tell ya, you'd think it wasn't the same person, eh?

~ Cherrylin... who left an author's note that was way too long for her own good.


	7. Old Chapter 5

**PART I: WE HAVE ONLY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE**

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><p><em>An empty flask was thrown through the air at me. I dodged, hearing it smashing against the wall behind my back. The one who had thrown it looked at me, his eyes softening. 'Hey, Mio-chan, come over here..'<br>I blinked once, feeling uncomfortable, asking him what he wanted. I hated when he was drinking.. he became so violent and.. odd. Then he told me he needed a hug and a bit of love, and I felt sorry for him. He smiled when I took a step toward him, a suppressed grin.  
>'Shinjō, find a girl your own age who knows what you want and is willing to do just that with you,' another boy said as he came into the living room, putting his hands on my shoulders and turned me around, guiding me away from the living room. I didn't really understand why, but his words sent a chill down my spine.. I felt scared. I thought I had finally understood Shinjō, but certainly, Kagami knew something I did not know.<br>'Hey-hey, she wanted to! She was on her way to me!'  
>'Shut up, Shinjō! She has no idea, and she's way too young!'<br>I was guided into the bedroom, where Kagami locked the door from inside when Shinjō got up from the couch, violently hitting the door, yelling threateningly. 'It's you who locks her away against her will! Even in the bedroom! It's you who's the creeper!'  
>I felt so scared, confused, frustrated over not knowing what was going on. I watched Kagami as he calmly ignored our leader, finding a deck of cards and sitting down by a table, inviting me to play with him. I felt a happiness inside of me I could not really explain or understand. I felt as if he did not only save me from something unpleasant, but also cheered me up by playing my favorite games with him.<br>We kept playing until Shinjō stopped yelling._

**CHAPTER 1.5 (5): KAGAMI**

"Why did you do it?"

"Huh?" Mion was broken out of her thoughts as Keiichi spoke to her. She had been so deep in her memories that she hadn't even heard the school bell announce the lunch break, her pencil still in her hand from where she stopped trying to solve her math problem. Looking up at the boy, she tilted her head slightly, not having heard his question properly. "What..?"

"Shion told me everything," Keiichi said in a low voice, trying to not get too much attention, "so why did you do it?"

A deep sigh escaped her lips as she realized what he was asking about. She hadn't expected Shion to tell the boy these things, but it didn't really matter. The girl decided quickly that there was no point in keeping the past to herself, and spoke to her friend in a clear voice. "You know me very well, Kei-chan, I don't need anything.. Not anything material anyway.. I didn't do it for money or getting more games and whatnot I.. stole," she looked down, feeling less pleased with herself. She was certain she felt her back burn with brief pain before she continued, looking back up at him. "But I did it for the excitement.. the adrenaline.. I've always had too much energy, and not enough to do with it.." _And then, the fact I had no-one to be with at that given time.. No friends, no family who wanted to spend time with me.. I suppose I was just terribly lonely._

Keiichi narrowed his eyes accusingly. "You still shouldn't have done something like that."

"Listen, I know. I'm not that dumb," Mion snapped, then the feeling of regret washed over her immediately. "Sorry. I'm just tired of hearing about it. It's not like the past can be changed."

The boy looked away, as if he had become ashamed. "No, it's me who should be sorry. I was just.. worried about your behavior yesterday.."

"It's okay.. With that being said," Mion got up, her dark attitude changing in a second to a hyperactive happiness, "this old man thinks it's time to eat!"

Her smile was nothing more than a disguise.

**'''''**

_"Where's Mion! ?" he yelled as one of his comrades approached them, seemingly last. The police cars were almost blinding his sight, but there was no mistaking the girl wasn't with them._

_"She fell behind," the younger replied dryly._

_"What! ? We've got to go back!"_

_"We'll just get caught," their leader growled, "forget about it, she won't go to jail anyway - unlike us."_

_Guilt was as if tearing him apart when he followed the others._

Four years... it had been four years since all that had happened.. and the young man, Hiratoki Kagami, still felt bad. They hadn't seen Mion ever since she got caught, but her hatred didn't surprise him when they had met her yesterday.

Betrayal..

Yes.. yes, they had certainly betrayed her. Even if Kagami truly had wanted to go back, even he had betrayed her. He wasn't forced to go with Shinjō and the rest. He could've turned around, but he didn't.. and he'd never be able to rid himself of the guilt that was clawing at his heart. The poor girl had meant so much to him, but he had betrayed her in the end like the rest. And thanks to the stories she used to tell in the past, he was aware that the Sonozakis probably punished her pretty hard..

_"WHAT YOU ''TAUGHT'' ME CAUSED ME TO LINGER IN PAIN FOR _DAYS_, DO YOU REALIZE THAT! ?"_

Her voice still echoed in his head. Pain.. she had been in pain because of all this.. and it was all their fault. They should never have let such a young and innocent girl into the group. They all had their personal reasons for doing what they did, but Mion had everything she needed when it came to money and food.. and when it came to company, they had never really been there for her... other people her age should've been with her... but Kagami just couldn't say 'no' to her when she wanted to join them. Mion reminded him too much of.. _her_.. and he had needed her..

'Her'.. oh how he missed 'her'. Thinking about 'her' was heartbreakening.. it hurt. He had wanted to protect her, make sure she was safe from harm.. and what happens..?

Kagami leaned back in the couch and let his mind drift him back to the past..

His family had never been in the good end of economy. They had struggled; the question hadn't been "what's for dinner today?" but rather "are we going to eat dinner tonight?". Not that they never ate; but it was never certain if there was money for a nice meal in the evening. Scrawny and puny leftovers weren't uncommon. They lived in a small apartment, Kagami sharing room with his sister Akemi, who was four years younger than him - the two of them had no problem with this however; their bond was very strong, stronger than most siblings' were. Kagami protected Akemi with everything he had. They played various games together, and enjoyed each others' company. Both their parents were very happy for them..  
>Even if life itself had given them barely nothing worth living through, they were <em>all <em>very happy. They had each other, they were a family full of love.

Kagami and Akemi both attended school, but neither of them were well liked. Kagami himself had always been ignored, his tall and muscular body possibly rather frightening, but the much smaller sister was bullied to no end, something that frustrated the brother, especially because he never knew who had been after her. He'd often meet her, the girl crying, but he was only able to comfort her; the sister had no idea who they all were, her colorblind eyes unable to describe the appearances of those who mocked her - and even if she could, she was too scared of what would happen if she told anyone.

Yet, one day, he found her - and that day was as clearly imprinted in his mind as though had it been a movie he had watched a thousand times..

_"Leave me alone!" Akemi's cry reached Kagami's ears, the fourteen year old boy feeling rage burning in his veins the very instant. His pace quickened, wandering to the source of his sister's voice._

_"Stop it! I haven't done anything!" _

_He gritted his teeth in fury, turning around the corner to see three upperclassmen stand around the girl he recognized as Akemi. One of the other boys had his hand clenched on her shoulder, tightening his grip._

_"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER OR YOU'RE AS GOOD AS DEAD!" Adrenaline was making him ready to fight as he approached them._

_"Hiratoki-kun? Hah, you like 'em young?" One of the upperclassman smirked dirtily._

_Kagami halted, only a few steps away, his lips curling up like an aggressive animal. "She's my sister."_

_"That scrawny thing?" The boy looked back at Akemi before returning his attention to the older brother. "The resemblance's not very clear, ya mother a whore?"_

_A fist, powerful and unforgiving, slammed into the offending boy's cheekbone, a tooth escaping his mouth. He yelped and looked shocked at Kagami, before his surprised eyes turned into anger. _

_"What the hell are you doing! ?"_

_"That was not even a warning," Kagami warned coldly, "it was barely a tickling of what I can do to all of you. Get lost. Next time, I'll fucking kill you."_

_Another boy spat on the ground at the warning, then sprung toward Kagami to his friend's defense. Though, Kagami wasn't surprised; he had expected someone to attack, and he grabbed his opponents neck and threw him to the ground before he could perform any attack on him. A crowd was starting to gather around them, chanting 'fight, fight!' over and over, but Kagami had no intention of fighting. He merely waited for his enemies to give up._

_The third boy let go of Akemi and turned tail after a threatening stare. The girl ran into Kagami's arms, crying against his chest. And the brother gently laid his arms around her, petting her long, soft ponytail soothingly. _

Despite how their classmates treated them, they both did well in school; Kagami was quick to learn, and always helped his sister with homework. It had been the plan, all along, to get far in life, get a high education and a well-paid job. Though, everything had ended in a split second. Happiness and love stopped; educations became impossible - all because of one evening, one incident.

The family had a car; an old one, but it worked for their purpose. It had been a happier day; their father, having been promoted at his work the very same day, had taken them all to a restaurant. While money was scarce, there was enough for this, to celebrate their father. There had been happy smiles, pleased laughter.

And yet.. still.. the very same evening, all that had ended. All of it. Kagami had never figured exactly what happened, how it happened, why it happened.. but when their car collided with a truck, neither parent had survived. Kagami and Akemi had been almost unhurt, but there was not the slightest hope for their beloved parents.

There were no relatives the two siblings could live with. Their only choice was to go to an orphanage; but that'd mean separation. The only orphanages they were offered, were boys-only and girls-only; and there was no way Kagami would leave Akemi out of sight; not ever, not now, when she needed him the most. Their parents' death had been traumatizing for her, forcing the brother to be stronger than he really was in order to protect his sister.

So they fled.

Surviving on their own in an old abandoned shed that was half-burnt down. Kagami learned how to steal, and lived his life, protecting his sister, his only family. The poor Akemi, who usually had been so bright and happy around him, a tomboy with a lot of energy when she wasn't in school, had become quiet after the incident. No matter how many times her brother told her that their parents would always be with them in their hearts, the girl cried, missing them.

The siblings survived the Summer. They got through the Fall. But once Winter came, Akemi became terribly sick... and these memories were probably the hardest Kagami had.. even recalling the memories made the young man hide his face in his hands, unable to keep back his crying, pain stabbing his heart. He heard Shinjō make some kind of remark, but there was only one word, one name, that echoed in his mind; _Akemi..._

_The girl coughed again, followed by a wheezing, weak panting. Clinging onto her brother, sitting in his lap, she hid her face in his chest. She was cold.. terribly cold. Kagami hugged her tight, trying to keep her warm, but it was to no avail. The moon would've shone into the shed, wasn't it for the snowstorm that was raging outside. Had he been able to, he would've taken Akemi to the nearest clinic, but it was too risky.. it was too far away, and he couldn't see a thing outside.. and his sister would only get even colder._

_He petted the ever-weakening tomboy of a sister, trying to reassure her - and possibly even to reassure himself, too. "You'll be okay, Ake.."_

_Akemi, shaking and shivering, looked up at him with sorrowful eyes. "I'm freezing, Onii-chan," said her low, hoarse voice, barely above a whisper, "I'm really, really cold..."_

_"I know," Kagami pulled her back into his embrace. "I know..." She was freezing; placing a hand on her forehead, he once more tried to find at least a bit of warmth, despite if it was the sign of fever, but even that warmth was long gone. Her body should've been warm from her sickness, but that heat wasn't there anymore. She was only cold._

_"Do you think mommy and daddy are happy, Onii-chan..?" Her blue lips were barely moving as she spoke._

_The question surprised the boy, but he smiled as he replied, looking down at her. "Of course.. And they love you. They'll protect you, help you, and make sure you get well soon, I can promise you that."_

_"But they're not here.. How can they help me..?"_

_Kagami ran his hand through her hair. "They're in your heart, Ake."_

_"They're in Heaven.."_

_"Watching over you, happily smiling," the boy said, a knot in his throat making it painful to speak. _

_"...will I be happy too, Onii-chan?" Akemi coughed, and laid her head against his chest once more, closing her eyes. "Will I go to Heaven too, like mommy and daddy..?"_

_Tears rolled down Kagami's cheeks; he couldn't reply. He didn't want to realize he was losing his sister... and before he ever spoke again, the little girl had already breathed for the last time._

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]**

Yes. I'm mean.  
>~ Cherrylin.<p> 


	8. Old Chapter 6

**To Graytail: **_Thank you~!  
><em>**To Cosmo:**_ Happy 3-Months!  
><em>

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><p><strong>PART I: WE HAVE ONLY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE<strong>

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><p><em>I don't like that boy anymore. At first, I felt Rena was too quick at judging him, but hell, he's starting to get on my nerves. It's only been two weeks, but he's already yelled at Satoko twice because he stepped in traps I undoubtedly was meant to get into. He's staring at the twins too much, the look in his eyes that of perversion. He's making harsh remarks every time Rena goes into kaii-mode. Mion's been in verbal combat with him twice this week. And yet, he remains calm.. though, Tetsuya.. trust me; if you as much as try to harm those girls, then you're as good as dead.<em>

**CHAPTER 1.6 (6): THE STRENGTH OF FRIENDSHIP**

_"BANG!"_ Mion shouted playfully behind him, making Keiichi jump and turn 180 degrees mid-air in surprise. He stared at her with wide eyes, trying to focus on the object she had pointed at him. The boy's chest was heaving in a panting rhythm, but he calmed down as he came to his senses, noticing that the thing she had pointed at him was yellow, rather than metallic.

The tomboy smiled at him. "Don't worry, little Kei-chan, it's just a banana," she said, in a soothing voice like a mother to a frightened child. She took the fruit to herself again, opening it and taking a bite. "Not yours, though," she gave him a dirty wink.

"...Mion.. sometimes, you're the most disturbing person I've ever met."

"I know."

She went past him to the back of the classroom, where the club was putting their tables together; the break had just begun. Keiichi looked at them all thoughtfully, a wry smile curving his lips. They were the oddest combination he had ever heard of, but at the same time, their bonds to each other were strong and deep.

"Kei-chan, what are you starin' at?" Shion looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Instead of standin' there, get over here with your table, you fool."

The boy let out a sigh before joining them. As always, they put their lunch boxes in the middle of the tables to share their food - though, they talked more than they ate, time passing by fast despite the unbearable heat. It was quite unusual for the weather to be so hot, but they barely noticed.

"I'll be right back," Satoko announced and got up, leaving the classroom.

"Take your time~ -ow!" The tomboy cooed teasingly, only to get hit by her sister. "What was that for! ?"

"Your manners are terrible," Shion answered dryly before taking another bite of Rena's lunch, "and Rena, you're amazing at cooking!"

The red-haired girl blushed at the praise. "Hauu, Shii-chan thinks Rena's a good cook?"

"Of course! Share some of your skills, man!"

Rena seemed only more shy. "But Shii-chan's great, too!"

As they were on the topic of food, Keiichi suddenly remembered that his parents were going to leave soon for two weeks - and if he should be honest, he had no idea how he should manage alone. Not only because he didn't know how to make food, but it'd be damn boring too. He cleared his throat, feeling rather awkward as he spoke. "Hey, Mion.. are you twins busy in the second and third week of our holidays?"

Mion's eyes were surprised when she turned her attention to him. "You're gonna rely on this old man's memory? Honestly, how would I know!" She rolled her eyes briefly, then changing her attitude to curiosity. "Why, though..?"

"Erh.. well," he begun slowly, "my parents are going to Tokyo for something related to my father's work. They asked me if I wanted to come along, but I'd rather stay," _for various reasons... _"though, it'd be a bit boring, all alone."

That made the tomboy burst out in a mocking laughter. "Aaaw! Poor Kei-chan will starve without his housefolk to serve him food!"

"T-that's not it!" His cheeks heated up with a light red color. "You know me, Mion, I'm a master chef! I could win the championships in cookin' without lookin'!"

She snorted loudly in amusement before Mion threw her arms around her stomach and fell onto the floor in a heap of bellowing laughter, which the whole club felt was a bit extreme, but apparently she was very entertained. "Shit, Kei-chan!" she said between her laughing, "I can't breathe! Are you trying to kill me! ?"

Keiichi put his head to his hand to let his arm support it while he waited for Mion to calm down. The tomboy had successfully managed to get the attention of the whole class, and it made him slightly uncomfortable. Shion asked Rena if Satoko hadn't been gone for quite a while, but the topic didn't catch the boy's interest. So what if she took her time..

Scrambling up, the teenage girl took one look at Keiichi and burst into another, though shorter, laughing rampage. "Y'know.. Kei-chan. You don't have to lie. I know exactly why you're asking," she approached him, putting a finger on his nose, "so come on, say it."

"Say what?" The boy looked confused at her, slapping her hand away from his face.

"Say it out loud."

"'it out loud'," Keiichi narrowed his eyes.

"No, you moron. Say the truth."

"What truth?" _That I can't cook? I won't let you break my pride so easily!_

"That I'm sexy."

_What? _That totally screwed up the whole conversation for the boy. "Huh?"

"Say it."

"Onee, what the hell.." Shion muttered, but then seemed to pretend she didn't know her sister.

"Say it, Kei-chan."

"You just can't get enough of yourself, can you?"

"Nope. I'm darn sexy, and you know it. Don't even try to deny it, you know you agree! Just say it already!"

Keiichi's cheeks got a dominant color of red. "You're crazy."

"Come on, Kei-chan, say it, out loud!"

"Why! ? "

The boy could've sworn he saw a glint of hurting in her eyes before she let out a deep sigh, but her smile seemed to disprove that. "Tch.. you're as boring as Shion."

"Oh, so I'm _boring _now? You just laughed like hell over me,"

"That was when you were still cute. You seemed to grow up in a few seconds."

"Did I now?" Keiichi got up immediately and begun to chase the girl (who had barely sit down before she hurried away). Because of the time Mion had lost, he quickly caught her by putting his arms around her from behind. For a few seconds, she stopped moving, as if reflecting over the situation, then she wriggled to get free.

"Kei-chan, Onee," Shion begun casually from the table, "I won't even begin to describe that."

At that, the boy instantly let go and the two teenagers sprung apart. Their cheeks were burning intensely, their blush only heating more when they looked at each other uncomfortably.

"_HAAUUUUU! ! ! _KEIICHI-KUN AND MII-CHAN, _KAII YO! OMOCHIKAERII!_"

"Oh fuck!" Mion yelped as Rena darted toward both of them, and ran out the classroom with Keiichi right at her heels.

"KAII, KAII!"

"You can't take us home!"

"OMOCHIKAERII~!"

_Like talking to a door.._ Keiichi thought hopelessly. Then suddenly, the girl in front of him stopped when they turned the corner, making the boy bash right into her. The club leader quickly pushed him away from her without turning her head.

"Ow.. why did you stop," the boy mumbled, then Rena crashed into him, her confusion silencing her. She went to stand on the opposite side of Mion, following her leader's gaze; there sat Satoko against the wall in the hallway, tears running down her cheeks as she embraced her knees. Without a word, the three teenagers rushed to her, the tomboy kneeling down by the blonde's side.

"Satoko! Satoko, what happened! ?" The urgency was clear in the leader's voice, all the previous laughter and fun already long forgotten.

The younger girl looked up at them silently. "I'm okay."

"Don't say such nonsense," Mion's voice became calmer and more comforting, "if you were okay, you wouldn't sit here."

Satoko hid her face in her knees. "Doesn't matter.."

"Satoko!"

A moment of hesitation passed by. Keiichi felt himself fill up with rage as his theories started to develop before Satoko replied the exact name he was waiting to hear; "Tetsuya-san..."

"Yes? What about him?" Mion growled, her voice so cold it sent a chill down Keiichi's spine.

"I.. I was setting a trap for Keiichi-san... one that only he could get into.. then Tetsuya-san saw me and.. bullied me.. called me bad things.. and hurt me."

"Where, when, why?"

Satoko looked up at Mion, as if she couldn't determine whether it was wise to say any details. The blonde sought both Keiichi's and Rena's eyes, and both of them nodded encouragingly, a silent promise that they'd all protect her if Tetsuya would harm her for telling. Then the girl turned her attention back to her leader, her voice stronger. "He grabbed me and threw me to the floor.. said he was tired of my traps.. it was right after I had been to the bathroom. I was about to put water in Keiichi-san's shoes when he saw me.."

Keiichi couldn't keep back a wry smile, mixed with happiness and sorrow; even if her traps were a bit annoying, he at the same time loved them. Satoko's traps proved her intelligence and her own happiness, and he knew that the more complex her traps were, the prouder she was. He wanted her to be happy - but such a simple trap as wetting shoes, something that was barely a trap at all, proved just how much Tetsuya had discouraged her.. and his hatred for that boy grew stronger.

Mion stroke the blonde's hair gently, patting her head. "He's in the classroom right now, isn't he?"

"Yes.. he is.." Rena answered lowly before Satoko could reply.

Mion got up without another word, slowly walking away. An obvious shiver ran down Rena's spine, and she stopped Keiichi from following the leader by grabbing his shoulder. "Believe me, Keiichi-kun... you don't want to be too close to Mii-chan when she's angry.."

Swallowing at her warning, Keiichi felt it was wisest to listen. Rena helped Satoko up, drying a tear and taking her hand. The three of them went back to the classroom, the same moment as they heard Mion question another student about Tetsuya's whereabouts.

"S-Satoko!" Hanyū and Rika got up at the exact same time, rushing to their friend's aid, Rika hugging her. "W-what's going on?"

Shion's focus had previously been turned to Mion, but upon hearing the two younger girls' cries, she sprang up as well, joining them. "Satoko, are you okay! ?"

"I'm fine," Satoko muttered annoyed, clearly not happy about the attention she was getting. Though, the attention was in one second changed to Mion when she knocked over a chair in anger.

"That fucking coward! Pretending to go to the bathroom!"

Okamura, the pupil she had been talking to, jumped back in fear at the class president's aggressive behavior.

Mion cast a brief glance on the child, then shook her head. "Thank you."

Worried, Keiichi watched as the girl begun approaching them on her way toward the bathroom, only to stop when footsteps sounded from the other end of the room, Tetsuya going in from the opposite door.

**'''''**

"YOSHIDA TETSUYA! !" Mion yelled as she spun around, darting forward in a quick pace.

"Yes?" The boy was completely ignorant, until she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and thrust him to the wall, his eyes revealing his surprise.

"You have exactly thirty seconds to start explaining what has happened!" She felt as if her blood was boiling in her rage, and it was only her self-control that was keeping her from hitting him right in the face with her fist.

"Woah! What the heck! What am I accused for! ?"

"You know _exactly_ what's going on! !"

Tetsuya narrowed his dark eyes. "Give me one good reason to keep completely calm when some little brat thinks she rules the place, trying to hurt others with her crazy ideas!"

"You're 17, she's just turned 13! Kids' play that was first of all not meant for you, secondly not intended to hurt, does NOT give you a good reason to throw her around you sick bastard! !" She put more weight in her grab, pressing him harder to the wall.

"Some busty lady shouldn't go tell me what I may and may not!"

Mion ignored his remark. "I think you're forgetting I'm the class representative!"

"Oooooooh, so a little title now makes you more worth than everyone else? You sure do feel like you're quite the queen, don't you?"

Growling in anger, her grab tightened so hard that small cracking noises came from her fists. "You seriously just wanna get hurt, don't you! ?"

"Speaking of rules, fighting is not allowed," nonchalantly, the boy grab her hands in a manner that hurt her nerves, forcing her to release.

Though, Mion just smiled, twistedly. "Afraid to lose to a girl, eh? Coward.."

"Onee!"

Mion cast a quick glance at her sister before looking back at the black-haired boy, ignoring Shion's worried call. "Apologize... now," taking deep breaths, she prepared herself to fight the boy if he turned physically violent. The girl let her mind run through several of the techniques she had learnt through jiu jitsu.

"What if I don't?"

Gritting her teeth in rage, the club leader raised her fist in the air, about to strike-

"_SONOZAKI-KUN! !_"The voice of their teacher echoed off the walls in the classroom. Mion looked over her shoulder, seeing Rumiko Chie stare at her in anger. Had the lesson already started? She cast a glance to the club; Keiichi and Shion were silently putting the tables back to where they should be.

_Fuck it.. _

"We're not done, Tetsuya," hissed the girl as she turned her attention to him again. "You have hurt one of my class' students. You have hurt a member of my club. You have hurt one of my most precious and beloved friends. I am Satoko's class president, I am her club leader, and I am her friend. You got a problem..."

Tetsuya mocked her silently with a challenging smirk.

**'''''**

"Mom, Kei-chan asked if he could come over a couple of weeks in the holidays," Mion, followed by Shion, walked into the living room.

"My my, what's this all of a sudden?" Sonozaki Akane, mother of the twins, looked up at them from where she sat, interest and curiosity shining in her eyes. She put a mark in her book and closed it to turn her attention to her daughters.

"His parents are going to Tokyo for some work-thing or other," Mion begun,

"- and pretty much anyone know Kei-chan can't cook, or even fend slightly for himself," Shion added in her twin's sentence.

"- so we kind of thought he could stay with us those weeks?" Mion finished.

Their father turned his head to look at them. "He can, but he's sleeping in the guest room."

"..oh come on, you gotta be kiddin' us." The tomboy stared dumbfounded at her father, Sonozaki Myō.

"No, Mion. He may be your friend, but he's not sleeping in your room," their father objected, his serious tone not to be taken fun of.

"Come on dad, what's wrong with that! It's not like he'll be a danger to us!"

"I said no."

"But.. but Rena's allowed to stay with us overnight!"

"She's a girl," Myō turned his head back to the TV. Mion smacked her face with her palm, hard enough to be heard - and she had to admit, it actually did hurt fairly much.

"Heck, Kei-_chan_'s more girl than Mion is!" Shion broke in, leaning against her sister.

"There's a difference."

"Mom!" Both of the twins desperately called, hoping their mother would at least be more reasonable.

Though, Akane just smiled at them, her emerald eyes rather apologetic. "I'm sorry, your dad was the first to have a say in this."

"Seriously dad, come on! It's not like any of us will ever get raped!" Mion complained.

"I said _NO_, Mion!"

"Dad! Why do you think Kei-chan will be a danger to us! He's one of our best friends! Why don't you trust him? What are you afraid of! This is so pointless, this wasn't even what we came to ask for!" She could've cried of frustration, wasn't it because she was way too determined to win rather than give up. The girl brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes, crossing her arms under her breasts.

Rather irritated, Myō turned his attention away from the TV again, looking at his daughter with serious, harsh eyes. "Sonozaki Mion. I am not stating Maebara-kun is a danger or a threat, but I do not want him in your room at night. Is that clear?"

"And why night especially? He's with us in the daytime, where we're actually _awake_. We're _sleeping _at night. Y'know, _sleeping_? Meaning there's less of a possibility we'd do 'anything else'! So why is it a problem? ! This is ridiculous!"

"STOP IT, Mion-"

"Don't scold Mion all the time, I'm in it too!" Shion interrupted, clearly not wanting Mion to be the only target for their father's lecture.

He sighed. "Mion, Shion. If you continue this, he won't be allowed to come over at _all_. Clear?"

"..t-that's so unfair!" Mion looked from one parent to the other, devastated, not wanting to believe it. She could feel Shion tense equally. "Please just tell us exactly _why _he's not allowed to sleep in our room!"

"Give me a reason why you're so persisting about getting permission," growling suspiciously, Myō raised an eyebrow.

"He's our friend!" The twins said together, perfectly synchronized, before Mion continued; "why should he sleep in a stupid guest room? This isn't a school camp! It's not like_ sleeping over _in one specific room with the opposite gender, involves anything.. dirty!" She realized being vague probably wasn't going to work.

"And if you're sleeping all the time, why is there a problem in sleeping separately?"

Their shoulders dropped; neither twin could quite answer that question. While they both just enjoyed the thought of being together with a friend, talk half the night away, wake up together, they weren't certain how to put it into words that their father would understand.

Mion gritted her teeth, feeling rather aggressive for the second time today (even though she undoubtedly had been more angry at Tetsuya). If she absolutely had to use exact words, then so be it. "Come with it, straightforward, what are you afraid of? ! That we'll have sex or what! ?"

"Mion.." Akane muttered displeased at her daughter's attitude.

Shion sighed heavily. "Forget about it Onee, parents always want us to tell everything in detail, but never answers a simple question when asked." Both of them turned around, annoyed, and left the living room in frustration, walking back to their own room.

**'''**

"Why don't they understand! Didn't they have friends or something!" Mion growled angrily, slamming the door the moment they both were inside their room.

"Onee.. calm down. We still have some days to convince them."

Mion huffed, going to her futon to sit down. "Hell, I don't know about you, but if they end up not allowing us, then I'll stay over at Kei-chan's, whether they'll hate me for it or not!"

Shion gave her a sly grin, looking at her suggestively.

"What! Someone's got to teach him how to cook!" Mion's face turned bright red under the glare from her sister.

"Among other things."

"Oh shut your mouth," Mion threw her pillow at Shion, who readily grab it, "if I hear anymore of this boy-can't-sleep-over-at-girl's-without-it-being-dirty-thing, I'm gonna _puke_!"

Shion threw the pillow back at Mion, who didn't expect it and felt surprise as the softness flew into her face. "Fine, just don't throw up on _my _bed."

"Was that the same as a promise you would continue your perversion?" Mion asked while throwing the pillow aside.

"In my head. I don't need to risk vomit on my futon, it's such a mess." Shion tilted her head gently, making Mion sigh hopelessly.

Awkward silence filled the room, and the tomboy quickly got bored. She tried to find amusement in the clock's ticking or the Higurashi's crying outside, but neither could entertain her the slightest. Memories of today were still burning inside her mind, but she tried to forget her hatred of Tetsuya.

"Shion, you're the one standing, fetch me-"

"No I won't," the twin immediately answered from where she stood by the window.

"Oh shut up and just get me a manga, won't you?"

Shion rolled her eyes and went to the shelves. "I have no freaking idea of what you want, you have all too many series!"

"Just something I haven't read in a while."

Her sister huffed and threw a manga in Mion's lap. "_That _I know you've only read once."

Mion stared at the pink cover, realizing quickly this was one of Shion's lovey-dovey moe things. The tomboy looked back up at her. "Idiot."

"Then specify!" Shion said cheerfully.

The door was getting knocked on. "Girls, dinner," came their father's voice.

Both twins looked at the door. Mion narrowed her eyes. "Why does he specify me as a girl.. I refuse to have anything in common with _you_," she spoke cooly to Shion, who burst into laughter.

"Oh well _twin_, that's gonna be hard!"

"Shut up."

**'''**

"We've decided to let Keiichi-kun sleep over with you," Akane stated after a long moment of silence.

"Really?" Shion looked at them in turns, her eyes lighting up. The noodles she had only just picked up with her chopsticks glided back into her bowl.

Though, Mion on the other hand, felt suspicious. "And that's not something that's gonna change?"

"No."

Both twins looked at Oryō and Myō before exchanging a glance; they seemed rather displeased, and while it came as no surprise, it was a bit scary.

"Though, he's dead if he tries anything," their father added threateningly.

Shion smiled slyly. "It's more likely that it's Kei-chan's parents who'll shoot Mion."

"Oh stop it already," Mion muttered, rather seriously as she remembered her confrontation with Takano Miyo, "I don't need the thought of a gun aimed at me again."

* * *

><p><strong>[AN]**

Le gasp, I uploaded! ! ! …  
>… I'm still behind, man. I'm not done with chapter 7. Either way, I didn't want you guys to wait any longer, because this chapter is fairly interesting, I think. (And the next chapter will end with a cliffhanger, so I'd rather leave you with this chapter than the next one.)<br>About Myō, yes, that's his name. Confirmed by the Matsuri game – which is a really, really good visual novel. Much more beautiful than the original, much better than the anime, much more detailed than the manga… shame I can only understand very little.

Anyway I'm getting off-topic here.

So.. What do you guys think of Tetsuya nauw? He bad guy? Ya think he's a bad guy NOW? Oh no.. Oh no no no no, he's not. Nope... Definitely not. There's far worse crap to come, believe me. Far worse. So much far worse. This is but a tiny 1-second tickling poke compared to the crap that happens. Mwuahahaha…

…I'm making an elephant out of a mosquito here, nothing in this chapter was bad..

Oh yes, another question… Isn't this just the way us girls' parents are? Totally unreasonable when it comes to friendships with boys.

**Edit:** ...I fail a lot. Let's hope nobody read the story while it was still JUST uploaded.

~ Cherrylin


	9. Old Chapter 7

**[A/N]**

Because I personally enjoy the ending of this chapter, I decided to put my author's notes here, even though I have little to say. Just.. just remember that I'm not a merciful author, nor do I follow the 'rules' of book writing. I also like tragedy. And I won't change anything in Kurushi-hen because of anyone. At all. Never.

All in all, this chapter (most of it) was written while I was at a LAN party. I would've finished chapter 1.8 too, but there wasn't enough time (or was there.. heh..)

Anyway, enjoy.

(Yes, there's also an episode of Higurashi called 'Tag, You're It'… Episode 2 of Kai if I'm not mistaken.)

* * *

><p><strong>PART I: WE HAVE ONLY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE<strong>

* * *

><p><em>To think that this heat would have such a dramatic consequence for us... was cruel enough already..<br>To think that this was only the first disaster of many... no.. no, I don't want to think about it.. I don't like to think about how suddenly a life can end.._

**CHAPTER 1.7 (7): TAG, YOU'RE IT!**

"_HAUU! KAII YO, OMOCHIKAERII! !_"

Rika suddenly regretted saying her usual 'nipah' when Rena took her up in her arms, hugging her painfully tight and swinging her around. Her recently eaten lunch was churning around in her stomach, the little girl feeling sick the same instant.

"You sound like a pedophile," Tetsuya remarked from his seat, not even looking at the club members.

The red-haired girl stopped her swinging around, looking at the boy with contained anger. "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." Her voice was threatening, but couldn't hide her hurt. When she had put Rika down, she patted the blue-haired girl before they both went to sit down again by the table, among the others.

Tetsuya had officially become an enemy of the club - and he gave them little reason to forgive. None of the club members enjoyed having an enemy, but he was causing them too much trouble, bothering them daily with his mocking comments. The past two days, Satoko hadn't set as much as one trap for Keiichi, something the whole club had noticed; and it certainly made them pissed, that the blonde wasn't doing what she wanted to do, simply out of fear. While she seemed cheery enough, it was obvious she was afraid.

Mion had almost gone into physical combat with him yesterday, her desire for avenging Satoko almost having been the only thing in her mind. Shion and Rena had managed to calm down their club leader, but there was pure hatred in her eyes whenever her attention was turned to Tetsuya.

"Forget about him, Rena," Hanyű said gently, "he's not worth it." The goddess was smiling to the teenager, who merely sighed lowly, still looking at him. Earlier had Hanyű had a mock thrown at her for her horns. It didn't look like the former goddess to say anyone wasn't worth something, but obviously she had meant for Tetsuya to hear those words in some kind of comeback.

"Rena," Rika began in a low voice, looking at the red-haired girl from where she had sat down beside her.

"Yes, Rika-chan?"

"Rena.. you warned us the first day he came here.. is.. is this why? Could you feel he was like this?"

The teenager only nodded solemnly, turning her attention from Tetsuya to Rika.

"Will he be a danger to us? A real danger..?" _Will this world shatter, because of him? Does he have a strong will to harm us, like Takano Miyo had, for some crazy reason..? _Her lilac eyes couldn't hide her worry, and Rika swallowed in apprehension.

Rena's blue gaze turned sympathetic. "I doubt it.."

"Yeah," Keiichi joined, "don't worry Rika-chan. Guys like him bully others, but it's not like they'd try to maul or kill anyone," judging from his voice, he was trying to be funny. Though, when the younger girl eyed him with a straight face, cutting off his comedy, the boy cleared his throat. "Believe me, I would know."

"Enough," With a growl, Mion interrupted them angrily, the topic of Tetsuya clearly displeasing her. "Hang on though," she got up, "I need to talk to Chie-sensei. This heat is unbearable."

Rika looked at her leader as she left, agreeing silently. Even though the windows were open, the whole classroom was way too hot. The air conditioning system really needed to be fixed..

**''''**

"Chie-sensei," Mion barged in through the door to the office with little formality, "can't you call some repair-dudes to fix the air condition or something? We're all meltin'."

The teacher looked up at her, her expression revealing how tired she was of her student's rude manners. "They have already been informed of the situation, Sonozaki-kun. A group of technicians will arrive later today, and we will go outside for P.E. once they're here."

"Great then," sarcasm edged her voice, and she turned around to leave. "See you around then,-"

"Wait a moment, Sonozaki-kun..."

Mion halted mid-step, one foot in the air as she looked over her shoulder. "Eh?"

The eyes that met her were rather tired and annoyed at the same time; Chie was looking at her with that kind of exhaustion you'd only see in adults when they were absolutely displeased about a teenager's attitude.. a gaze that Mion was way too familiar with.

The young tomboy gritted her teeth and set her foot down. "What is it?"

"Sit down," the teacher said in a dry voice.

Fighting the urge to sit down on the floor right where she stood, Mion obeyed and went to sit on the chair opposite of Chie's. "So.. which rule did I break this time?" she smirked jokingly, trying to lift the heavy air in the room.

Her attempts to amuse her teacher were to no avail though. "We need to talk about your behavior toward Yoshida-san."

It was impossible for the girl to keep in a deep sigh. "Again? Come on..."

"Mion, I'm serious."

She was a bit taken aback when the teacher informally used her first name. When Shion had joined the school, Chie had decided to call them Sonozaki-kun and Sonozaki-chan respectively, and rarely ever called them anything else. "Very well, so, you'll now tell me all _I _did was wrong, and all _he_ did is forgiven because he's new, and then you want me to vow I'll never do it again, blabla, tell me to not be so hostile to him and so on."

The teacher was sitting absolutely still, her voice calm, but her eyes were burning at the girl's words. "I do not expect you wish any kinds of school-related punishment such as to be downgraded or expelled, so if you would please act your age as any mature, responsible teenager would..." she left the sentence unfinished to increase the amount of threat... it worked.

Mion gave her a wry, rather nervous smile. While she had a feeling Chie would never expel her (especially not when taking the Sonozaki family's influence into consideration; they could close the school at a wave of their hand), it was still quite a frightening thought.

Realizing how the girl had become silent, the teacher spoke again. "I do not need to explain what you did wrong, I assume?"

"No, but.. Chie-sensei, Tetsuya was not being quite fair either. He.. hurt a classmate. More specifically, Satoko. Physically. That's against the rules, too.. moreso than my threatening, I believe."

"And I shall talk to Yoshida-kun accordingly. Two wrongs do not make one right."

"But I want to defend my friends! If I don't teach him to leave them alone, he'll keep bothering us!" Frustrated, the teenager found it hard to keep still, wanting to hammer her fist in the table to prove her aggression.

"I am sorry, Sonozaki-kun, but I cannot allow violence in this school."

"Then what should I have done in that situation? ! _Let him bully her! ?_"

"Your responsibility in such a case is to report to either me or our headmaster."

Mion found herself lacking a reply, opening her mouth to speak but clenching her jaws in defeat. She tightened her fists, looking down with gritted teeth. "Fine.. but I can't assure you that I won't hurt him if he hurts my friends. He needs to become 'mature and responsible' as you nicely put it.."

"I know very well you and your club don't get the slightest along with him, but have you thought his actions may be based on envy? He may be feeling left out."

The teenager found no suitable argument. While she herself was perfectly certain that that was not the case, there were no words she could use against her teacher's conclusion. "He started..."

"Oh please, don't say something so childish, Sonozaki-kun.."

Mion turned her head away. She remembered how she in the start had been eager to invite the boy into her club, and how Rena had been strictly against it right from the start. Though, Rena had been right all along, as usual. There was no doubt or anything that needed to be proved; there were good and bad guys in this world, and Tetsuya did not belong to the good side.

"Dismissed," Chie's voice was clear of all recent bitterness.

**'''''**

Shion was fighting to stay awake, despite the fact she was chewing on her lunch, sitting together with the club members. The past many nights had been so exhausting, draining her of all energy. In the beginning, visiting her dear Satoshi hadn't tired her. She had stayed with him for a few hours, telling him about the club, reading him books and occasionally singing. Though, she couldn't take it all that well anymore. To see him lying there, so peacefully.. right in front of her, within her touch... but yet unable to look back at her, answer her, pat her head.. it was breaking her. It was so hard to accept, and thinking of the fact he might never wake up again.. it was painful. She tried to take the pain away with alcohol, but that resulted in heavy headaches the day after, headaches that were becoming part of her every day. And still, she kept up this happy facade in front of the club, only letting go of her fake smile when Mion was alone with her. She knew her stress level would decrease if she stopped pretending, but she couldn't possibly let the club know.. they didn't need to go through the same painful waiting as her.. especially not Satoko...

"Jeez!"

Her sister's annoyed voice woke Shion from her trance, the whole club turning their heads to their leader. She tilted her head questioningly. "What's the matter, Onee?"

"Pft.. just Chie-sensei." Mion sat down, her anger undisguised.

"Did she refuse to do anything about the air conditioning?" With doubtful eyes, Keiichi tilted his head.

"That's not it," muttered the tomboy.

"Then what is?" Rena curiously asked the question that was on everyone's mind. There was a mild trace of exhaustion in her voice, something Shion merely noticed because of her own tired state.

With gritted teeth, Mion slowly turned her head back up from her lunch, her eyes clearly focused intensely on Tetsuya. It was enough of an answer for them.

"Oh, yeah, by the way, Kei-chan," Shion suddenly started, remembering last night. "Our parents gave the O.K., you can stay over at our home." The girl couldn't help but to wonder how well she'd be able to keep up with it.. having to act happy for two whole weeks without being able to cry to her sister? It probably wasn't possible at all, but she'd try. Hadn't Mion been in love with that boy, Shion would've said she couldn't go along with that plan, but.. it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for both Keiichi and Mion to learn how to understand each other, and maybe even an opportunity for Mion to confess her feelings to him.

"Cool!" The boy seemed quite happy at the announcement, oblivious to Shion's rather darkened mind. Tetsuya looked over his shoulder at them with a perverted sneer, much to the girl's annoyance. _No, Tetsuya.. that he's staying over at our home does not equal anything dirty.._

Mion laughed, a bit maniacally. "There be rules, little Kei-chan. Since you're stayin' for that long, you won't be considered a guest. Ya gotta do them chores with us!"

"Maybe we can finally teach you how to cook!" Shion joined. "All sorts of food! Rice, meat, noodles, vegetables, curry..."

The boy huffed. "To be quite honest, I never really cared much for curry."

Silence. The boy slapped his hand over his mouth at realization. Satoko gave him a sympathetic pat on his shoulder, the rest of the club just looking at him with apologetic eyes. They heard footsteps outside the door.

Mion gave him a wry smile, whispering. "You're so dead, man..."

"Thanks for your unwavering loyalty and support," Keiichi growled ironically in a low voice.

"You're welcome."

Shion looked with worry as their teacher approached them, standing behind the boy. She couldn't help it but feel quite sorry for him; _nobody _'offended' curry in any way and got away with it. Then again, he _was _Keiichi; wizard of words.. maybe he'd figure something...

"Maebara-kun. I did not just hear you say you didn't care about curry, did I?" In her eyes were the silence before the storm.

Swallowing, the boy bravely turned his head around to look at her. "Of course not, I said that curry is delicious! It's got quite the unique taste that only the ever so divine curry can have! I was looking forward to have the twins teach me how to make it!"

"Ooh, so that is how it is?" The teacher's voice calmed down.

"Yes, of course!"

"I see, I see.." Chie turned away.

All of the club looked silently and rather impressed at the relieved Keiichi; that seemed way too easy. Tetsuya watched them and the teacher curiously, but said nothing.

"_AUW! !_" A sudden yelp escaped Keiichi's lips, and he took his hand to the back of his head. Broken chalk pieces landed on the table before jumping and rolling onto the floor.

"Pity-pity," the blue-haired Rika said in her childish, gentle voice, clapping her hands quietly.

Tetsuya gave him a mocking and satisfied smile. He seemed to enjoy anything unpleasant involving the club members. The question was though, just how unsympathetic was he? Surely, if anyone was in real pain, he wouldn't be amused, would he? He'd help them if they really needed it, right? ...then again, he _had_ already hurt Satoko.. and he seemed more than ready to fight Mion (and Mion equally so). It was only a question of time until he did something that would make Mion engage into a wild combat, untamed and ferocious, careless of the consequences. It was so easy to imagine them fight that it was almost scary.. surely, it'd happen, sooner or later. And when it did, Mion better damn well win... Shion didn't want to think of what Tetsuya could do to her if she was too injured to fight back..

"Class, we're starting in five minutes!" Chie said from her desk.

**'''''**

"That was all for today! You can go home now," the teacher announced to the seventeen panting and sweating students. Most of them were too exhausted to even nod their head, the heat having had its effect on them. "Oh, and, Maebara-kun, I want a full two-page essay about curry on my desk Friday morning." Chie left without another word, most of the students following her.

"Alright then, club members, gather!" Mion yelled up. "We'll do our activities outside today!"

As they gathered, Rena noticed Keiichi was staring toward the school building in disbelief. "Couldn't she have told me that BEFORE our self-study lesson! ?"

Rena laughed gently behind him. "Aaw.. poor Keiichi-kun."

"Come on," the boy complained, "how can _anyone_ write such a long essay about you-know-what! ?" Deliberately, he tried not to mention the word 'curry'... Chie seemed to gain some sort of supernatural power when that word was spoken.

"I'll help you," the red-haired girl smiled. "Now, come on, it's time for our club games!"

They joined the others, and Rena noticed the others seemed to be just as melting as herself, sweating despite their P.E. outfits. She hoped the air condition in the classroom worked now, the weather was so awfully hot..

"I hope today's game won't involve too much running," Satoko complained hopefully, looking at her leader.

Mion smiled as she announced the game. "Hide and seek, but with a twist; it's not enough to find others. You have to catch them, too. Anyone who's caught will have to catch others. Punishment games; since we're gonna play till we're all caught, we'll do something a bit different today. Those who catch someone is allowed to decide the punishment game for that person. More specifically, when I catch Kei-chan, he'll be punished by me. At the same time though, whoever caught me - like that's gonna happen - will be the one to punish me."

"Sounds good, but doesn't that also mean the first one to be 'it' won't be punished?" Hanyű asked.

"Exactly," the leader muttered. "So in a sense, the winner in rock-paper-scissor is the ultimate winner. Just to make it all even more complicated, we'll do it two-versus-two. Winners of first rounds will compete, and then the winners of second round will. Since we're seven, the final winner of you will compete with me. Does all this sound okay with you guys?"

The whole club raised their hands in the air of approval. Then the mini-competition began. All the club members chose randomly their opponent. Satoko versus Shion resulted in a quick win for the blonde. Rika versus Keiichi; the boy won. Hanyű versus Rena; Hanyű was the one with victory. Satoko won against both Keiichi and Hanyű.

Mion smiled at her younger friend. "As I would've thought, Satoko," she said as dramatically as in any movie before a great battle, "best out of three?"

"Afraid to lose, Mion-san? I say once is more than enough."

"Fine, then. But don't cry like a baby when I win!"

"Of course I will not cry 'when I win'.." Satoko grinned, revealing her canine tooth.

Mion's rock lost to Satoko's paper. Rena couldn't help it but to admire the blonde. It was obvious this was yet another proof of her genius mind. When Satoko just had one opponent, she could easily win anything by simply knowing the person. That was how all her traps worked, and why she could make one for a specific person without risking someone else to step in it; she knew her friends' patterns and personalities. To her, it was an 'of course' that Mion would choose rock.

The game started. At first, it had started out as a normal hide-and-seek, but as more and more were caught, it eventually turned into oni tag. In the end, only Mion was left uncaught, the rest of the club desperately trying to find and catch her before anyone else did. To punish Mion, the one who usually punished them.. it seemed like the biggest reward possible. Especially Keiichi and Shion were doing their very best (and Rena could only imagine Shion wanted to win over her sister to give her some embarrassing punishment involving Keiichi, who also had been caught by Shion).

With a deep exhale, Rena halted and dried her forehead, having found the tomboy. "Rena will catch you, she will!"

The club leader merely gave her a grim smile, standing just out of reach. "You really sure you can catch this old man?" She laughed, jumping backwards when Rena lunged after her. "See ya!" Turning around, the tomboy ran off again.

Rena followed her immediately, but it was as if her goal had little importance to her. She didn't feel focused or concentrated on catching Mion. Her head was pounding, sweat rolling down her forehead. She was feeling most uncomfortable, dizzy. The girl could feel and see that she unintentionally slowed down, her target becoming more and more distant.. Soon, her sight even flickered from clear to blurry, a dark frame formed around her vision. Her thoughts slowly drifted away, and a sudden pain stirred up in her body before she became numb, running without a purpose. A brief panic made her heart beat faster; she was scared. She wanted to yell to the others to come and help her, but it was as if she had forgotten how to speak, unable to say anything. Even if she opened her mouth, all words were gone from her mind. Her body lacked strength, exhaustion engulfed her like a tsunami. Her sight turned utterly fuzzy, with more black edges than actual vision. Sounds became distant until everything went silent. Instinctively, she would've freaked out in despair, scared when the world's existence disappeared from her senses, but she was as if locked in this state, unable to say anything.

Tired... she was so... tired.. so very, very tired.. as if she could sleep forever...

She never even felt the commotion with the ground when her legs had given way under her.


	10. Important

**16th July 2012  
><strong>

**Hello, everyone.**

**This is a very important message to my beloved readers and amazing subscribers; Kurushi-hen will not be updated on this 'file'. However, I will upload it as a new story.**

**That was the short version, and all you really need to know. So go to my page if you wish to read the story, and find the new one! It's still called Kurushi-hen and everything!**

**Below will be the LONG story. You don't need to read it, but some might be curious after all.**

**~ Cherrylin.**

* * *

><p><span>The LONG and COMPLETE story behind this!<span>

The 19th June 2011, I started publishing this story to FF. Ever since then, I have had a habit of making a few other stories too, and eventually, I tried to write "Presumption of Innocence". I halted Kurushi-hen to work on this, but lost the inspiration. I wanted to finish PoI before continuing Kurushi-hen, but eventually, more than half a year went, and Kurushi-hen only had a good 7 chapters uploaded.

A few months ago, I decided I'd update Kurushi-hen. I'd rewrite all the uploaded chapters, take the critique the wonderful reviewers left me, and I'd update it.

My first deadline was the 19th June 2012, exactly one year later.

Then life got in the way and I got busy. I pushed the deadline, eventually to the 17th July.

I had decided I wanted to update all the chapters, just simply update them on FF. Take the old prologue, replace with the new, etc.., and I'd upload all the new versions the same day...

But, I got too busy, and couldn't possibly make it to the deadline. Instead, I decided I'd update them one by one, as I finished them. As regards to how to notify people, I thought I'd message those people who told me they wanted to alert them. I thought this was simple.

It wasn't. Turns out, that this way, people can't leave a review if they wish to. FF thinks you already left a review, and you can't leave more than one, apparently.

"Okay", I told myself. Then we'll just upload them as new chapters. Then people will get notified too!  
>But what will then happen? Then reviews for the prologue will be labelled for "chapter 11" because FF doesn't have the best system for organizing..<p>

So I tried to move the new, updated prologue (uploaded as a new chapter) to spot "Chapter 2", where it should be ("Chapter 1" is misc.). Well, what happens? FF thinks first of all that it's a replaced chapter, so all the old reviews returned and stuff.. secondary, it also reported an error that you couldn't review because the chapter didn't exist.. wtf?

So.. a tough decision for me, I will upload Kurushi-hen, my pride, as a new story. Under same name and everything, but you'll have to go to my profile page to find the new one.

I really, really, really apologize for all inconvenience and confusion this has caused my readers. Really. I am so sorry for all this mess, and I really hope you haven't given entirely up on me. Just go follow the 'new' Kurushi-hen, and everything should work out.. I've definitely learned from this, so all this mess won't happen again.

Again.. Thank you for being amazing people.


End file.
